By Trevor Jackson
A HUGE 28-point game from Mount Gambier Pioneers’ Sherrie Calleia saw the women remain undefeated after two rounds of NBL1 South, with a 73-66 win over the Frankston Blues.
Mount Gambier hosted a tough Frankston lineup at the Icehouse and an exciting battle unfolded for the Pioneers faithful.
The Blues arrived as a possible favourite, with some big names in the roster, including Australian great Belinda Snell calling the shots from the bench.
The coach certainly had her work cut out as the two sides went blow-for-blow.
Pioneers coach Matt Sutton was certainly n top of his game, making the right calls to stifle the Blues’ attack.
By the first break scores were tied at 18 points each, thanks to a Cassandra Brown three-point jumper late in the quarter.
The Pioneers had the better of the scoring in the second term but only by three points.
A late Shakera Reilly layup put the home side five points clear but Tessa Lavey then went to the charity stripe and sunk two free throws to bring the margin back to three points at the long break.
Frankston turned that advantage around in the third quarter as the game heated up.
By the final break the scoreboard read 50 points apiece, with the fourth quarter set for an epic showdown.
The final stanza certainly did not disappoint for the Pioneers fans, despite the Blues taking a two-point advantage mid-way through the term.
A layup to Calleia, followed by a three-point basket to Reilly put the Pioneers back in the black and they went on from there.
A late three to Blues’ Darcee Garbin threatened to close the margin, but the Pioneers held strong and ran out victors to the pleasure of the fans in the stands.
Calleia’s game-high 28 points was complemented by 12 points from both Brown and Haliegh Reinoehl, along with 10 from Reilly.
For coach Matt Sutton it was an impressive victory.
“They are an outstanding team, so we are happy,” he said.
“To get a win against and outstanding team makes you feel like you really belong.
“The girls showed a lot of effort.”
The third term almost let the Pioneers down, as Frankston claimed the quarter 15-11.
Sutton said the girls simply lost control of the game.
“We got a bit out of sorts with our structure,” he said.
“It was good the girls could get that back because sometimes once it starts it is hard to stop.
“They found ways to generate some stops, get some scores and get back in line with the chemistry which is required.”
As for Calleia’s game, Sutton said it was fantastic.
“I think that will be the nature of our team,” he said.
“Last week Cass had a big scoring night and this week the team defence was key for us and it was Cherrie’s night to put some scores on the board.
“Next week it might be someone else’s turn.”
Sutton said a key focus for the side was the defensive intensity, to ensure Frankston worked hard for their points.
Some of that effort came down to Brown and Reinoehl, who worked tirelessly throughout the contest.
“Their efforts at both ends of the floor was good,” Sutton said.
“Cass probably missed opportunities she would expect to make but at the same time her effort on defence and Haleigh’s effort to play against big bodies went a long way to us getting the win.
“If you can keep a team like that under 70 points you have done a good job.”
That defensive effort was certainly a major factor in the victory.
“The way the girls played they were making it tough for Frankston to get the looks they were trying to generate,” Sutton said.
“We also had some girls make some really good plays to get that buffer which was really important.
“Their efforts to make (Frankston’s) shots tough in the last few minutes were crucial.”
