THE Mount Gambier Pioneers will have another shot at a championship title, after the men earned a Basketball SA Premier League grand final berth with an 11-point win over Forestville Eagles at the Icehouse on Saturday night.
The result wrapped up a successful night for the club, as the women’s team progressed to the preliminary final with a nail-biting overtime win against Eastern Mavericks in Adelaide.
Having faced the Eagles three weeks ago in round 19 of the season, the Pioneers men had not played a game since, but did not take long to “chip off the rust” according to coach Richard Hill.
The opening minutes were a deadlock, before the Eagles gained some free throw opportunities to establish a seven-point lead with just under three minutes to go in the first quarter.
However, the Pioneers fought back and at the change held a one-point advantage.
That was reversed after another even quarter, with a buzzer-beater from Jake Rios sending the visitors to the main break with a 46-45 point lead.
After a quiet 12-point opening half by his standards, Pioneers American import Kentrell Barkley stepped it up a gear in the second half to finish his night with an equal game-high 27 points.
That score by no means broke any personal records for the star, but paired with an impressive 21 rebounds and six assists there is no denying Barkley was a danger all over the floor.
He was matched only by Forestville powerhouse Majok Deng, who scored 27 points and pulled in 13 rebounds.
Hill said the Pioneers found their “mojo” after the half-time break and by the end of the third term looked in a good place.
They led by four points heading into the final stanza and opened strongly with a 10-point run to be up by 14 after the first minute and a half.
The Eagles replied to bring it back to an eight-point game, but again the Pioneers retaliated.
From there the margin hovered around 10 to 12 points and the Pioneers held on for the win and the first place in the season decider on August 17.
While Barkley was a standout on the scoresheets, Hill said every player put in big efforts on the night.
Captain Tom Daly scored a solid 25 points, with six assists and five rebounds, while Sam Daly contributed 15, six and three.
Brad Rathjen was also in fine form and scored 13 points, made four assists and pulled in five rebounds.
However, a “harsh” call saw a second unsportsmanlike foul to Rathjen with 30 seconds to play in the fourth term and he was ejected from the game.
But it did not waver the result and the Pioneers secured the win regardless.
Hill said he was impressed with the way his team took to the court after its prolonged break.
“We felt like as the game wore on, we got a better handle on things,” he said.
“They got to the free throw line a lot in the first half which hurt us and slowed the game down, but once we were able to defend without fouling, it made a massive difference to the game.”
He said it was a whole-team performance and even those with limited time on the court made a difference.
“We had a lot of very good players – the stats do not necessarily tell the whole story,” he said.
“Even Lachie (Hunter), he played eight minutes or so and was two from three in the field and was solid.”
Despite a few moments in the first half, Hill said the team did not have any significant foul trouble, which helped towards the result.
Heading into the final stanza with the lead and some momentum, Hill said he was confident in his team, but had not ticked the win off yet.
“You just play it a possession at a time,” he said.
“I had confidence in us as a team and I felt we were starting to get a feel for the way they play and were finding some solutions to little problems that came along.
“We defended much better in the second half and that allowed us to get stops and get some run and find some easy baskets in transition, which is our game style.
“As the game wore on it became more like how we wanted to play.”
He credited Forestville for its high intensity and looks forward to the grand final in two weeks, which could likely see a rematch between the sides.
Norwood Flames claimed an upset win over North Adelaide Rockets in the first semi final and will now face the Eagles in a fight for the second spot in the decider.
“It was a bit of a surprise that Norwood beat North (Adelaide),” Hill said.
“But Norwood did beat Forestville earlier in the year, so who knows in basketball.
“We just have to prepare for either scenario and come next Saturday night we will know.”
