By Trevor Jackson
IT was a tough task for the Mount Gambier Pioneers men in the opening round of the NBL1 South season on Saturday night.
The Pioneers defeated a fast-finishing Diamond Valley Eagles at the Icehouse by six points – 101-95 – but not without some changes to the roster and a bit of a scare down the stretch.
Tom Daly and Erik Burdon were out of action due to Covid, along with head coach Richard Hill.
That left the coaching duties to assistant Kurt Russell, with women’s coach Matt Sutton on the bench for support.
In what was a tight battle for the entirety of the game, the Pioneers came through, with much of the scoring by new signing Michael Harris, who finished with 32 points.
But he was certainly not alone, with Tom Kubank (20), Jordan Rawls (16), Kane deWit (14) and Kyle Tipene (10) all reaching double figures.
Kubank was strong at both ends of the floor, with 11 rebounds to complement his 20 points, 10 of those at the defensive end.
Youngsters such as Zach Nulty, Harry Mules and Jackson Bowden were given their chance to impress on the floor, much to the pleasure of the large crowd.
After a tight contest late in the game, the Pioneers held a handy seven-point advantage with just two minutes on the clock but Diamond Valley certainly were not done.
With a minute remaining, just one point separated the two sides but a Rawls layup put the home side three points clear.
Harris then made two free throws to add some extra margin, before finishing the game off with another pair of successful free throws with just four seconds of game time remaining.
For Russell it was a pleasing result after some nervous teams leading up to the clash, with the personnel missing.
“We talked as a group on the Saturday morning with what we had available for the night,” he said.
“We agreed we weren’t going to use that as an excuse and come out and play like a young or depleted group.
“We still have some very good competitors and a playing group who want to win.
“We stuck to the game plan and it just worked great.”
Russell said much of the result simply came down to the system the Pioneers run, the experience in the roster and the opportunity for the younger members to learn of long-time members such as Burdon, Daly and deWit, along with the class of Harris.
However, he said it was the second half was a little disappointing, with the Pioneers giving up too many points and almost letting the game slip away.
“Our second half wasn’t great,” Russell said.
“We did give up 60 points in the second half.
“We knew Diamond Valley were going to come out and score – they are a very talented team.
“But Michael and Jordan came up with some big plays late, we got to the foul line and knocked them down.
“Put everything aside, you couldn’t be prouder to start the year off like we did.”
As for Harris’s efforts, Russell was clearly pleased with his overall performance.
“He is an absolute talent,” he said.
“He should be in an NBL squad.
“He has some really good years ahead of him, he is still young and has a lot to learn.
“If that is an indication of what is to come it is going to be very exciting, especially when you throw Nick Marshall, Tom Daly and Erik Burdon out there.
“With the likes of Tom Kubank and Kane deWit, we have a very good top seven or eight players.”
The depleted roster also allowed for some of the younger players in the squad to step up.
Russell was pleased they were able to contribute to the game, which he put down to the system the team runs.
“They are putting in the hours of practice and I just told them to be ready,” he said.
“They needed to go into the game because we had a couple of players in foul trouble.
“Harry Mules come on, played about 13 minutes and was very productive.
“You have to keep in mind these kids are only 15 or 16 years old.
“They played a big role to rest some of our players.”
The Pioneers face a tough hit-out against Frankston on Saturday night, with those missing players and Hill due back for the game.
Nick Marshall will also take to the floor after his NBL season with the Adelaide 36ers is now over.
It provides an impressive roster which is sure to be tested this weekend.
“Frankston is one of the favourites this year,” Russell said.
“They have had two solid wins, so we just have to be in the mindset that we will be hard to beat as well.
“It will be an up and down game, Frankston is a fast team, so I think the team that plays well defensively will come out on top.”
the game tips off at 8pm, Saturday night at the Icehouse.
