PREMIER League basketball returns to the Icehouse tomorrow night as the Pioneers host the Central District Lions in round 15 of the 2019 season.
For the men it will not be a foregone conclusion, despite the Pioneers defeating the Lions by 31 points last time the two sides met.
In that game captain Tom Daly and American import Kentrell Barkley topped the score sheets with 24 points each, while Barkley also pulled down 12 rebounds.
Equally impressive was the fact DayJar Dickson and Sam Daly managed 18 points each, Erik Burdon finished with 15 and Lachie Hunter with 14.
That showed the ability of the Pioneers to score with a fit side on the floor.
Recent games have seen the side struggle with injury problems, but that seems to be a thing of the past at the moment, with coach Richard Hill suggesting another high-scoring match could be on display tomorrow night.
“This is a game that will be good to watch,” he said.
“They have tremendous talent – they have eight African kids and they are all really good.
“They have a really good import, but Tom Daly played a really good game to contain him last time we played them.
“It will be a great night at the Icehouse.”
Hill said the athleticism of the Lions is exciting to watch, but with another of their main players returning after a stint with Melbourne in China, they are also capable of piling on the points.
“They are capable of scoring 100 points,” he said.
“We have looked at film and we are wary of their ability to put points on the board.
“They have the best percentages from the three-point line in the league – they can really shoot.”
The Pioneers have shown this season they are certainly capable of scoring over the 100-point mark, as they did against the Lions last game and that was with two notable players less than 100pc fit.
Both Sam Daly and Burdon were still somewhat nursing injuries, but Hill said both would be right for tomorrow night.
“It was good Sam got through both games last round and he has got some extra training in,” he said.
“After Erik was injured he could still shoot and do other stuff and he worked unbelievably hard.
“His numbers were not good early in the season, but he has gone to the top few three-point shooters in the league.
“He has had three straight games where he has shot the lights out, so he is back into real “Eze” type form.”
The Pioneers currently sit third on the ladder, with just three losses after 14 games, while the Lions sit in sixth place with a 7/7 win/loss ratio.
The Lions do have several players with double-figure scoring averages, which will certainly provide a challenge for the Pioneers.
However, the Pioneers boast Tom Daly, Brad Rathjen, DayJar Dickson, Burdon, Sam Daly and Kentrell Barkley all in the same class.
As a young player Hunter is also making his mark, now sitting with a average a touch over eight points per game.
The Pioneers are certainly well on their way to playoff contention in their first season in the league.
However, with all the external noise relating to a possible move to New Zealand’s NBL competition, it could well be their last.
It would be the ideal start and finish to claim the championship honours at the end of the day and tomorrow’s game is certainly one rung of the ladder along the way they do not want to let slip.
The game tips off at 8.15pm.
