THE weekend could not have been more rewarding for the Mount Gambier Pioneers, as the club returned from Adelaide with four wins in round 16 of the Basketball SA Premier League season.
Both the men and women travelled to the city for the double-header round and pulled off two wins each in their final away games of the minor season.
While the women had two nail-biting victories, the men were never a doubt and now hold onto top spot after solid wins over the West Adelaide Bearcats and South Adelaide Panthers.
They broke the 100-point barrier on both days – now doing so 14 times this season – and never looked threatened in either clash.
Saturday’s encounter with the Bearcats saw a consistent contribution, with a long list of double-figure scorers.
Sam Daly was a standout and topped the sheets with 21 points and eight assists, while American import Kentrell Barkley (20), Brad Rathjen (17) and Erik Burdon (17) were all close behind.
As a result the Bearcats simply could not keep up with the pace of the Pioneers.
Foul trouble saw three starting Pioneers on the bench in the first half of the opening quarter, but by the first change Mount Gambier had established an 18-point margin.
“They called nine fouls on us in the first quarter,” coach Richard Hill said.
“We got off to a really quick start and then I think it was back to 22-19 when we scored 13 points on end, which really blew the game right open.
“It was pretty much a one-way battle from there.”
At three-quarter time the Pioneers led by 37 points, while the biggest margin was 44 in the final stanza, but a late charge from West Adelaide saw the final difference 35 points.
DayJar Dickson played an instrumental role in denying the Bearcats a chance to claw their way back into the game, with a solid 13 rebounds – 12 from the defensive end.
In additional to that, a total of 28 points were scored off turnovers by the Pioneers and Barkley contributed to those statistics with six steals.
He also pulled in five rebounds in what was practically a half of basketball, after injury saw him with little court time in the second half.
However, he overcame that quickly and was again a force to be reckoned with on Sunday, when he achieved a double-double with a massive 41 points and 11 rebounds against the Panthers.
“He made 16 out of 17 shots on Sunday, which is an incredible effort,” coach Hill said.
“He played about 35 minutes on end and he probably would have scored 50 points if we’d left him on.
“He had an outstanding game.”
The match saw a similar start to Saturday, as the Pioneers fired early to set up a 13-point quarter-time lead.
A lapse in the second quarter saw the lead extended by just two points by half time, as South Adelaide’s Zachary Allmon found access to the hoop, but the Pioneers broke away in the third term.
By the final break the guests held a 36-point advantage and were in the box seat for the win.
They continued to pile on the points in the fourth and claimed a 40-point victory at the final buzzer.
Barkley was a standout for the match, while Burdon maintained his consistent road trip with a 19-point haul, Rathjen scored 18 and Tom Daly shot 17 in a solid game.
Hill was once again impressed with his team and the way it went about both games.
“I am really happy with the guys and the way they played on the weekend,” he said.
“We were pretty hard to fault.
“We had a little bit of foul trouble and some injuries, so the results were really good.”
He credited both Sam Daly and Barkley for their Saturday performances, while the latter’s efforts on Sunday were simply “outstanding”.
Hill also mentioned the regulars who were again up to the task.
“Erik Burdon shot the ball really well, he was five from six from the three point line on Saturday night,” he said.
“He had a really good weekend.
“Brad Rathjen is playing really well and Tom had a good day on Sunday.”
Rising talent Lachie Hunter also received a mention again this week, with a solid game on Saturday night rewarding him with 14 points and four rebounds.
Looking ahead to the final rounds of the minor season, the Pioneers finish with three consecutive home games.
They will host Woodville Warriors this weekend, before facing Sturt Sabres the following week.
Both encounters should go down as Mount Gambier wins, before a tough meeting with second-placed Forestville Eagles to finish the season.
