James Murphy
A WEEKEND roadtrip produced two solid wins for the Mount Gambier Pioneers women competing at the pre-season NBL1 Blitz in Melbourne.
They played a game each on Saturday and Sunday, against Waverley and Bendigo respectively, with the new-look Pioneers comfortable in both victories.
With the NBL1 South season launch only a week away, Pioneers women’s head coach Matt Sutton has been satisfied with the development of his team.
He was pleased with the weekend and said both games were good team hit outs, despite opposition which was less competitive than desired.
“The games went well and there was plenty to gain from them,” Sutton said.
“We won both comfortably – neither team was at full strength.
“Particularly Bendigo, they only ran out a youth group.
“But I am happy with how we approached the games and there were some things to take away and work on to get better.”
Everyone played their parts, while Sutton was impressed by the output from some of the development players.
“We were really impressed by some of the young crew who played,” he said.
“Tenielle Human, Summer Miller and Cara Nulty all came away and held their own.
“They played with a lot of toughness which was pleasing.
“They have been putting in a lot of work over the summer.”
Sutton believed new recruit Imogen Rock would be one to watch out for this season, but as a whole he was excited by what the whole group brings to the court.
“They are socially connecting really well and the chemistry on court gets better every time we hit the court,” he said.
“It has been really nice to see everyone making a strong contribution.”
Upon the arrival of Miela Goodchild this week, the women’s team is close to full strength prior to next weekend’s opening round of NBL1.
Zitina Aokuso is the only player left to join the squad, due to playing in the WNBL grand final this week, followed by Opals commitments which will keep her occupied until Round 2.
Sutton hoped for a few good training sessions over the next week in preparation for Round 1, which opens the Pioneers’ season with a double-header roadtrip.
