THE Mount Gambier Pioneers are back on home soil tomorrow night for round 11 of the Basketball SA Premier League season.
They face a familiar foe in the Eastern Mavericks, who the men defeated last Sunday on the road.
It was an impressive performance considering the Pioneers had gone down the night before in a tough contest against the Southern Tigers.
Plus the roster was depleted, with starters Sam Daly and Erik Burdon sidelined with injury.
Unfortunately Burdon will be absent for several more weeks to overcome his facial injuries, while Daly looks unlikely to take the floor tomorrow, with his ankle still causing him concern at training.
The Pioneers still managed a 107-85 victory over the Mavericks last week in a dominant performance.
The Mavericks have struggled this season, now down in ninth place with just two wins from their 10 outings, while the Pioneers sit in fourth place, with seven wins from 10 games.
Last week five players reached double figures, captain Tom Daly the most impressive with 28 points.
But American import player Kentrell Barkley and Limestone Coast youngster Lachie Hunter managed double-doubles.
Barkley finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Hunter locked in figures of 12 and 12.
Both worked hard at the defensive end of the floor, Barkley with 10 defensive rebounds and Hunter with nine.
Brad Rathjen has continued to impress at the point guard position, with Sunday’s game seeing a return of 20 points, along with seven assists.
American DayJar Dickson was also impressive, with 11 points and nine rebounds.
It was a well-rounded effort from the undermanned side and showed the talent coming off the bench, which included Dellon Brown, Mitch Hunter, Malok Makoi and Matt Black.
While it is not the ideal scenario for the side, the result last week was something coach Richard Hill was certainly pleased with.
He said the current injuries had allowed some of the younger players to step up and make a solid contribution on the floor.
“Our young guys have done a good job,” Hill said.
“We put a team on the floor on Sunday and Tom Daly was the only one over 22 years of age.
“We are pretty young and are a work in progress.
“We played better against the Mavericks last week than we did against the Tigers, but we will need to play well again to win tomorrow night.”
If the Pioneers can chalk up another win it will be the ideal scenario.
They then have a week off, which will allow time for at least Sam Daly to recover, before another home game against West Adelaide.
Hill said his players were keen to return to the Icehouse and the home-crowd support, after three double-header road trips and just four games at home.
The game tips off at 8.15pm following the Pioneers women’s clash.
