Pioneers bounce back to win nail-biter

A Pachis Roberts Crop 2 Dsc 821120190511  TBW Newsgroup
BOUNCE BACK: Mount Gambier Pioneers American import Pachis Roberts was in fine form in her team's bounce-back win over Eastern Mavericks on Saturday night. Picture: TREVOR JACKSON

A Pachis Roberts Crop 2 Dsc 821120190511 TBW Newsgroup
BOUNCE BACK: Mount Gambier Pioneers American import Pachis Roberts was in fine form in her team’s bounce-back win over Eastern Mavericks on Saturday night. Picture: TREVOR JACKSON

THE Mount Gambier Pioneers women were put to the test in their Basketball SA Premier League rematch with the Eastern Mavericks at the Icehouse on Saturday night.

The Pioneers went down to the Mavericks on the road last week, but bounced back at home for a thrilling six-point victory in round 11 of the competition.

Heading into the final quarter the hosts trailed by one point and the intensity remained high until the final buzzer.

Captain Amanda Frost opened the term with a two-point layup to put the Pioneers in front and from there they held on for the win.

A three-point jump shot from Maddy Wormald followed and they had some breathing room, but it was short lived as a two-pointer and a free throw from the Mavericks narrowed the margin back to one.

From there Emily Winter stepped up and was fearless as she drove to the basket, converting a couple of vital free throws to see the margin at 10 points with four minutes to play.

A strong run from the Mavericks raised stress levels, but the Pioneers held on and claimed the honours in a solid team display.

American Pachis Roberts was also pivotal in that final term, especially when Frost was fouled off late in the match.

She stepped up for the full four quarters and finished her game with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

“We had a real focus to get Pachis into the game early and she responded really well after what was probably a sub-par game by her standards last time we played them,” coach Matt Sutton said.

“And Emily Winter bounced back really well and made some crucial plays, particularly from the free throw line for us to get the win.”

Winter was a highlight for the side, particularly when it counted in the final term, finishing her night with 19 points, while Wormald also rose to the occasion to score 14.

But it was Frost who Sutton thought played one of the biggest roles, in what he described as one of her best performances.

She scored a quiet 16 points by her standards, but with an impressive 13 assists and nine rebounds, she displayed control all over the court.

“She was one rebound away from a triple double, which I found out after the game she had not done before,” Sutton said.

“It was one of the most important games she has played for us in terms of controlling the tempo and to have 13 assists and only two turnovers was pretty outstanding.”

Had she not run into foul trouble Frost would likely have managed a triple double.

Despite the obvious standouts, Sutton said it was a team effort which saw the Pioneers across the line.

“Everyone played their part at different stages,” he said.

“Maddy was huge shooting the basketball particularly at a moment when the game was starting to slip away from us.

“She made a couple of shots, including a four-point play which kept us in touch when things were not really rolling for us.

“Then Mel (Russell) had one of those games where she did a lot of the things that went unnoticed, in terms of battling bigger players and stuff like that.

“It was the same with Olivia (Wormald), they had roles that were really important, but probably did not equate to numbers on the scoresheet.”

After last round’s loss to the Mavericks, Sutton was pleased to step up the week after and claim the victory in front of a home crowd.

“I feel like we were fortunate to get that opportunity to play them again so quick, while it was still fresh in our minds,” he said.

“We were really happy to bounce back the way we did.”

This weekend sees a league-wide bye, which will allow time for rest, before another home game against the West Adelaide Bearcats on May 25.