Trevor Jackson
THE excitement continued for the Mount Gambier Pioneers women on Saturday night, as they claimed a two-point victory over Eltham Wildcats in Round 10 of the NBL1 South basketball season.
The game opened as an arm wrestle, as both sides looked to claim the advantage.
By the first break the Pioneers were up by four points and a tough night ahead loomed.
Typical of how the night unfolded, the second term was even, with both sides scoring 20 points.
Wildcats’ Hailey Leidel had threatened to take the game away from the Pioneers early but it was Korinne Campbell who stole the lead in the second term with a two-point jumper.
However, Sherrie Calleia responded in true fashion for the home side, driving hard to the basket for a strong layup, followed by a two-point jumper from Haileigh Reinoehl.
A pair of Wildcats free throws stole the lead again, before Shakera Reilly drained a triple and the Pioneers were once more up.
Reilly had the last say in the term with a regulation layup and a four-point advantage heading to the long break.
The Wildcats appeared to find their groove in the third term, as they claimed the quarter by seven points and took a handy three-point advantage into the final stanza.
The final term played out as the previous three quarters, with both sides throwing everything at the contest but unable to create a decisive break.
It took five minutes for the Pioneers to regain the lead, which came off a Calleia layup.
With less than two minutes on the clock the star guard added another two points and the Pioneers were in the box seat, with a handy four-point lead.
However, the Wildcats refused to go away and a pair of free throws from Leidel made it a two-point game with 30 seconds on the clock.
As time wound down and possession changed, with some discrepancy with the game clock in the final second of play, the Pioneers were able to hold on for a nail-biting victory.
Reilly top scored for the Pioneers with 17 points, Calleia finished with 16, Reinoehl 14 and Cassandra Brown 11.
The Pioneers face a double-header road trip this weekend to take on the Diamond Valley Eagles on Saturday night, followed by the Sandringham Sabres on Sunday.
The Eagles sit down in bottom position on the ladder, with just one win to their name.
The two sides faced off back in the opening round of the season, with the Pioneers home by 37 points.
It was no surprise to see Brown top the score sheets in that one with 28 points.
