By Trevor Jackson
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men have placed themselves in a strong position as the halfway point of the NBL1 South season is upon us.
The men headed off for a double-header road trip on the weekend and returned with two victories.
The Pioneers took care of business on Saturday night against the Frankston Blues with a 109-91 victory.
They then backed up on Sunday with a dominant 113-74 victory over the Nunawading Spectres.
Saturday night the Pioneers controlled the contest against Frankston, with a dominant three quarters of basketball.
The opening term saw a tight contest but the Pioneers still took a five-point advantage to the first break.
From there they lifted the intensity with a 35-26 term to extend the lead and continued that in the third quarter, winning the term by 10 points and taking a 93-69 lead to the final break.
The Blues ran the game out, winning the final stanza by six points but it was too little, too late as Mount Gambier claimed a comfortable victory.
Michael Harris was again in good touch with 34 points, Tom Kubank contributed 22 and Nick Marshall 19, while Clevon Brown and Tom Daly also reached double figures with 12 points each.
For coach Richard Hill it was an impressive performance, considering the travelling involved and an early 5.30pm time-slot for the game.
“Frankston is a very strong team, they are full of high-quality players,” Hill said.
“But we were very good.
“We had to get up at 6am and drive to Melbourne to play at 5.30pm at Frankston, so all credit to my team to play like they did.
“It was pretty good and I am pretty proud of them.”
While the game was tight for in the opening half, Hill said the way his players shot the ball, especially in the third term made the difference in the end.
“We got it out to 26 points towards the end of the third quarter,” he said.
“We shot the ball well, slowed them down at their end and played at our speed.
“We played exactly as we planned to play.
“Everything we tried to do we achieved and on top of that we shot the ball great.”
Sunday saw a more comfortable victory despite being the second game in as many days.
The Pioneers showed no ill effects from the previous match, opening with a strong first half to take a nine-point lead to the main break.
However, again it was a dominant third term which broke the game open, as the Pioneers found their range and dominated the floor with a 31-11 quarter.
But not to rest on their laurels, the Pioneers ran the game out hard with a 30-20 final stanza to stamp their authority on the competition.
Again the double-figure scores were spread across the roster, with Harris topping the list with 22 points.
Jordan Rawls (20), Daly (18), Kubank (16), Marshall (15) and Brown (15) all contributed to the big team total.
Hill said it was a combination of various factors which are coming to fruition which has placed the side in such a strong position.
“Michael Harris, he just keeps on keeping on,” he said.
“He has had a couple of average shooting nights but it doesn’t deter him.
“He has strong belief in his ability and our system suits him and he has found a bit of a groove with us.
“With him and Nick Marshall on the floor together, there is a pretty good chemistry in the group.
“Tom (Daly) had a great weekend.
“He had a big impact on both games coming off the bench.
“Against Nunawading I thought Jordan Rawls was out best player and he came off the bench.
“Clevon is settling in.
“He helps us defensively and on the boards, blocking shots.
“He is starting to fit in, is athletic and has good timing.
“But everyone played really well across both games.”
Hill said he did not approach the weekend with the expectation of anything like what happened.
However, he does not seem too surprised and puts that down to one simple factor.
“The guys are working pretty hard,” Hill said.
“We have guys who just can’t get enough of it.
“They are getting a reward for the hard work now … nine and one is not bad.
“But we know that can change pretty quickly too.”
With such success comes the fact other teams will now target the Pioneers.
Hill said the days of being underestimated are over.
He said both the men’s and women’s teams have put themselves in an ideal position to tackle the remainder of the season but expects a huge challenge to remain clear at the top of the ladder, with a 9/1 win/loss record after their 10 outings.
“Other teams are loading up with NBL-standard players,” Hill said.
“As the season goes on those teams will be better.
“I think now we have set ourselves up – the girls have too – so we have a target on our foreheads.
“Teams will give us their best shot and we won’t catch anyone by surprise now.”
The Pioneers now have a well-deserved week off with a bye for all teams, before they return to the Icehouse to face the Kilsyth Cobras on June 18.
