Trevor Jackson
A HUGE effort will be required by the Mount Gambier Pioneers men if they are to claim the NBL1 South title this weekend.
The Pioneers stormed into the grand final via a dominant victory over Sandringham Sabres on Sunday at the Icehouse and now have a date with destiny.
The only thing in the way of championship success is the Hobart Chargers, a side which defeated the Pioneers at the Icehouse back in Round 9.
However, in that game the Pioneers let the Chargers out to a 32-17 first-quarter lead and played catch-up basketball from there.
The second term was tied, the third favoured the Chargers by a point, then the Pioneers claimed the last by six.
However, the damage had been done early and the Chargers rejoiced with a 10-point victory.
A lot has happened since then and the Pioneers have honed their game, as was on show on Sunday.
An even first half against the Sabres was turned on its head with a dominant 28-10 third term to blow the game apart, due in a large part to the defensive effort across the board.
The Pioneers will need more of that against the Chargers if they are to prevail.
The grand final will be played on a neutral court at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne, providing no advantage to either side.
However, the size difference between the two sides is something coach Richard Hill said his team needs to overcome.
“They are big,” he said.
“They have six-(foot)-11, six-10 and six-eight starting players.
“They are physically big and talented, so it will be two totally different styles of play.”
The Pioneers play a fast style of basketball and will need to utilise that speed to create opportunities.
While it is a daunting task, Hill said his side has the capacity to claim the title.
“We are not without a good chance of winning,” he said.
“We have a lot of things to overcome from a physical point of view but we only need to play our style of basketball and slow them down a bit.”
Last time the two sides met Harry Froling did much of the damage, with a season-high 43 points, along with 16 rebounds.
Ole Angerstein finished with 23 and 10, while Jarred Bairstow contributed 13 and nine.
Froling has averaged 19.57 points per game and 11.10 rebounds, certainly daunting figures.
Several players boast double-figure averages, including Angerstein and Bairstow, along with AJ Harris.
Of course the Pioneers are not without their own firepower.
Michael Harris averages 24.30 points per game, Nick Marshall 21.30, Tom Kubank 14.13 and Jordan Rawls 12.
The Pioneers were clearly up for the challenge last time but a poor first quarter simply made it a tougher task.
Hill does not consider his side has peaked yet but hopes the recent improvements continue on Saturday night.
“We think we can get even better,” he said.
“It has been our goal to get better each week since we came together as a team.
“About five weeks ago we were struggling but have improved out of sight.
“We feel like our game against Kilsyth was very good, then I think we had a better one on Sunday.
“Our aim is to have a better one Saturday night.”
Grand finals throw up even more challenges, with the pressure from the Chargers sure to be relentless.
“We have been playing great but in a grand final you flip a coin,” Hill said.
“We just want to get out there and play well and give ourselves a chance down the stretch to maybe knock a shot down to win or get a stop to win.
“We are not going to come out and roll over them – they are too good.
“It is a team that has a lot of talent and a lot of size, so we have to do everything right.”
Looking at the season the Pioneers have certainly displayed plenty of grit and are deserving of the current position.
Hill said in such a tough competition it is a good result so far.
“We are down to the last two teams now, which is pretty special really,” he said.
“I think we have done a pretty good job so far.
“It will be a massive challenge for us on Saturday night.”
The game tips off at 7.30pm Central Standard time and will be live streamed.
