Picture: TREVOR JACKSON
A FOUR-quarter effort from the Mount Gambier Pioneers men saw them wrap up a big night for the club with a 37-point victory over South Adelaide Panthers at the Icehouse.
Similar to the women’s match, which opened the night’s proceedings with a win, the men had a consistent effort across the board, with the team working well as a unit.
Coach Richard Hill said he “felt like everybody who played contributed very well”, with some players showing their best form of the season so far.
Again it was captain Tom Daly who led the way on the scoreboard with 27 points, in a game Hill described as the “usual” performance from the skipper.
American import DayJar Dickson was also a standout and played his best game with the Pioneers despite limited minutes due to foul trouble.
He finished with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, with plenty of dunks to raise the home supporters from their seats.
“Almost every basket he had was a dunk,” Hill said.
“We did a great job of getting him the ball in the right spots.”
Brad Rathjen was one player who fed his teammates and “set the team up nicely” with an impressive 12 assists for the night, while Daly was also a team player with eight.
Off the back of a 40-point haul the week before, American Kentrell Barkley scored a quieter 18 points, but pulled in 18 rebounds to boast impressive figures nonetheless.
Sam Daly also scored well to finish with 20 points, while Erik Burdon rounded out the double figures with 16.
Hill was pleased with the result and said “it was a good win”.
“It was pretty tight early, which was good,” he said.
“It was very competitive, they came in ready to play.
“We just kept playing hard and we broke the game open in the second quarter.”
The opening term was a tough battle and at the first change the score was locked at 22 points apiece.
However, in the second quarter the Daly brothers and Dickson were in full flight and by the long break the Pioneers had established a 21-point lead.
Another tighter term followed, but the Panthers were unable to claw their way back to within striking distance.
At the final change the home team sat comfortable with a 25-point advantage.
From there the Panthers ran out of steam and the Pioneers stormed home for a dominant 37-point victory, 121-84.
After last week’s disappointment, which saw the side go down in overtime, Hill was happy to bounce back with a strong win.
“We played hard and everyone got involved, so it was good fun,” he said.
“To their credit, they kept playing hard too, but we were just a bit much for them on the night.”
It was a solid team effort which saw the Pioneers across the line with ease and Hill was impressed with two players in particular, who played their best games for the side.
“DayJar probably had his best game for us, even though he had some foul trouble,” he said.
“He only played about 20 minutes.”
When he was subbed off, youngster Lachie Hunter stepped onto the court to take his place, rising to the occasion.
Hill said he also had his best game, but the competition was not as fierce as previous rounds.
The real test will come this Saturday, when Mount Gambier hosts the North Adelaide Rockets for the second time this season.
The Rockets claimed a 15-point win over the visiting Pioneers in round one and it will be the perfect chance to see how far the team has progressed since the start of the season.
