By Trevor Jackson
EXCITEMENT levels went through the roof at the Icehouse on Friday night, as the Pioneers women claimed a stunning buzzer-beating victory over the Power house Geelong Supercats.
The top-placed Pioneers were expected to have a tough contest against Geelong in the NBL1 clash, with some big names in the visitor’s roster and one import player out for the home side.
The struggle was certainly real but for both sides, as the game went into overtime after scores were tied at 72-all after regulation time.
Sherrie Calleia had a chance to win the game for Mount Gambier in the fourth term but a missed layup sent the game into overtime.
In extra time the Pioneers looked in trouble, with the Supercats out to a six-point advantage after three minutes of play.
Calleia stepped up for the Pioneers with a three-point bomb to close the margin, before Sarah Blicavs sunk two free throws to open it back up to four points.
Cassandra Brown then made a layup and when Jasmin Howe drained a three as the clock ticked down, scores were again tied.
An attempted layup from Geelong’s Taylah Simmons missed with just seconds on the clock, with Hannah Young claiming the defensive rebound for the Pioneers.
With time was almost up, Calleia found Rielly out wide and as the three point bomb hit its mark, the final buzzer sounded and the Pioneers were home in dramatic style.
The excitement was palpable, as the Pioneers bench raced out on court to congratulate their team mates.
For the game Brown was impressive, as she led all-comers with 32 points, while Calleia finished with 17 and Howe 15.
But it was the last three points of Rielly’s haul of 13 which would be celebrated long and loud.
For coach Matt Sutton and the following scenes were special.
“The girls did a good job to generate a stop to give ourselves a chance, which was really important,” he said.
“Sherrie made a really nice play where she got into the paint, drew some players and made a pretty simple pass to Shak, who was shot ready and the rest is history.
“The scenes at the end were special.
“They are a group who have formed strong connections.
“This week Shak had her grandfather’s funeral so it has been a tough couple of weeks for her … she comes from a close family.
“For many reasons it was a very special play.”
The excitement winning such a close game against such a tough opponent in Geelong was clearly evident after the final whistle, with players streaming onto the floor to congratulate each other.
It was more special considering American import Haleigh Reinoehl was on the sidelines recovering from injury, along with Maddy Wormald who was a late withdrawal due to her own injury concerns.
“We thought it would be tough without Haleigh and Maddy,” Sutton said.
“We knew we would be up against it.
“I’m just proud of the way the girls handled it all.”
Sutton said the result was about sticking to the game plan, regardless of the situation on the floor.
He said the third term was not the best and during the extra-time period the Pioneers allowed Geelong to claim a small lead.
However, at the end of the day to girls stood tall when required and claimed the stunning victory.
“The girls are competitive, they are responsive to feedback and they want to win,” Sutton said.
“The position we put ourselves in, down by six in overtime, was a little bit of a daunting task but we made the right plays at the right time and generated the right stops.”
The win comes on the back of a stellar start to the season, with a similar roster to last season but a couple of new faces.
The side has certainly gelled well and shown the desire to win in under any circumstance.
For Sutton is comes as no real surprise.
“In terms of the connections, we knew what we had with the players returning,” he said.
“They already had a strong bond and we put a fair bit of work into making sure the people we brought in were on the same level that we wanted in our program.
“You are pleasantly surprised it works and in terms of the on-court success, if you said we would be six-and-one at this time of the season, I would take that every day of the week.
“But I am maybe not surprised, given how hard the girls are working and how coachable they are.”
It was certainly an impressive victory given the strength of the opposition, which has not been lost on Sutton.
“From a coaching point, it gives me belief we can do it,” he said.
“I think the girls are quietly confident in their own ability and have a level of confidence that is nice to see.
“For me it gives us confidence going into any game we should be able to compete.”
