THE Mount Gambier Pioneers’ 2019 Basketball SA Premier League season came to a crushing conclusion last weekend, as the men suffered a 17-point loss to the Forestville Eagles at Adelaide Arena.
At the end of the night, the Eagles simply “outplayed” their closest rival and despite the Pioneers’ track record against the team, they could not maintain their fast-paced game style for the four quarters.
Of their three previous encounters, the Pioneers had claimed the bragging rights every time.
However, when it came down to the big dance, Forestville found another gear and a purple patch in the third quarter turned the game on its head, before it continued strongly to record a 90-107 point win at the final buzzer.
The Pioneers settled well in the opening term considering they were coming off of a week’s break, while an impressive second quarter of 33 points set up a seven-point lead at the main break.
That margin could have been greater, but a lapse in the final three minutes allowed Forestville to cut it down from 14.
With the Eagles carrying momentum into the third and early foul trouble for the Pioneers – which sent the Eagles to the free throw line seven times in the first quarter – Mount Gambier coach
Richard Hill said he was slightly concerned heading into the second half.
His worries were realised and those troubles proved fatal in the late stages of the game as players were restricted to less-than ideal court time.
Regardless, the Pioneers still appeared strong at the midpoint of the third term and with four minutes to go, they held a nine-point lead.
However, a quick assault from the Eagles led by Michael Harris – who scored 11 of his eventual game-high 30 points during the short period – pushed them out to a 10-point lead at the final change.
That solid run, which handed the Eagles 19 unanswered points, spelt the beginning of the end for the Pioneers.
Mount Gambier failed to adjust to Forestville’s change in defence and converted just one of 11 three-point attempts in the “premiership quarter.”
Hill said his team did not handle those changes well and it proved effective for the eventual premiers.
“They changed their defence to give us the three-point shot,” he said.
“They basically said we’ll give you the three-point shot and if you miss we will rebound and push it straight down your throat – which is what they did.
“They decided to give us those shots and packed in the zone.
“We could not get to the basket because they had two shot blockers at the rim.”
The Eagles opened the final stanza with a three-point bomb, but the Pioneers hit back and narrowed the margin slightly in the opening stages.
However, seven unanswered points extended the lead to 15 with six minutes to play and the job became all the more difficult.
That lead edged out to 18 points, before the Pioneers clawed it back somewhat, but with the clock wearing down time was running out.
A change of tactic late in the game saw a last-ditch effort from the Pioneers.
Development players Mitchell Hunter and Matt Black were brought onto the court and they were tasked with the job to foul the opposition whenever they had the ball, hence stopping the clock and sending Forestville to the free throw line.
The Pioneers would then rush the ball back down the court and shoot for three in response.
“We had to try something – we were not going to just give up,” Hill said.
“The guys we had on the court were all in foul trouble, so we could not use them to do that.”
There is no denying foul trouble cost the Pioneers dearly, as they finished the night with 31 personal fouls, compared to Forestville’s 16.
In the end Forestville finished its season with a clean sweep of the men’s and women’s competition, taking home both titles on the night.
“They were just too good for us to be honest,” Hill said.
“We had times in the game where we were really good, particularly the second quarter, but when it mattered they were too good.
“We got in foul trouble early which hurt us – even though we were up at half time I was quite concerned with how we were situated.
“We did not close out the second quarter, that was our issue – we did not really get the reward for what was a really good quarter.”
Hill said he could pinpoint the two periods where it all went wrong, while said the main contributor was the team’s inability to maintain its intensity for the duration of the game.
“If you take out the back end of the second quarter and the back end of the third quarter, it was about 25 points (for Forestville) in seven or eight minutes of the game,” he said.
“That was where it was lost by us and won by them.”
Despite the loss, there were highlights and the game hung in the balance until the final term where it fizzled out.
Pioneer American import Kentrell Barkley was one player Hill said put in for the full four quarters and he returned solid figures of 26 points and 22 rebounds.
Captain Tom Daly was the next best scorer with 20 points, but it took plenty of shots to get there, shooting at just 31pc from the field.
Brad Rathjen played a solid first half to finish up with 12 points and Sam Daly also scored double figures with 11, while Lachie Hunter took some important rebounds at vital times.
Looking at the numbers, the difference between the game and the two previous encounters was Harris’ performance for Forestville.
At the Icehouse in round 19 and the semi-final, the Pioneers held him to four and two points respectively, so his total of 30 dealt plenty of damage on the weekend.
Greg Mays was also in impressive form and he scored 27 points and pulled in 13 rebounds, while Majok Deng contributed 20 and 18.
On the night the Eagles were the better team, but it does not take away from what has been a massive season for the Pioneers.
Looking back at the year that has been, the club has achieved great things with both its men and women’s teams, who finished second and third respectively.
Mount Gambier Pioneers president Tom Kosch expressed his gratitude for the lifeline provided by the Premier League at the start of 2019.
“Our club has been extremely grateful for the opportunity provided by Basketball South Australia and its club’s to compete within the South Australian Premier League in 2019,” he said.
“While our men were unable to take out the major prize, we are extremely proud of our both our women’s and men’s programs for their efforts throughout the year.”
The club’s future currently remains in limbo, but Kosch said actions are being made to help ensure the Pioneers have a place to play next season.
“Our club is committed to providing a pathway for both women and men for the 2020 season and beyond,” he said.
“The Pioneers aspirations of playing within NBL1 have been long understood by Basketball South Australia (BSA) and its clubs, although club representatives have been working with BSA in the event the opportunity to be a part of Basketball Victoria’s NBL1 competition does not exist.
“The Pioneers Basketball Club board expect to receive an invitation to apply for Basketball Victoria’s NBL1 competition in th
