Lachlan Onions
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men will look to continue their perfect start to the season when they host the Keilor Thunder at Wulanda on Saturday night.
After two rounds, Mount Gambier has played two double-headers and come away with four wins from four to place them on top of the NBL1 South ladder.
The Thunder have also been solid to start the season with two wins from three games and are in sixth place on the ladder.
This will be the Pioneers’ second home game at Wulanda after they opened the new home in style last weekend with a strong win.
Nick Marshall and Jacob Lampkin have been the two premier players in the Mount Gambier line-up so far.
The pair have been the two top-scorers for the Pioneers this campaign and Marshall is fourth in the competition for points-per-game with 26.
Lampkin has gone from strength to strength this season and has racked up 24.25 points and 10.75 rebounds per game this year.
The Pioneers will also look to Chris Seeley and Julian Pesava to make handy contributions, while captain Kane de Wit found some form in his most recent game and will be another threat that Keilor will have to handle.
Mount Gambier’s bench is also strong enough that Keilor will likely be under constant pressure regardless of what rotation coach Richard Hill has on the floor.
Dylan Marshall and Austin Shelley have shown some spark when they have come onto the floor, while William Mayfield is averaging more than 14 points per game off the bench, making him a very reliable sixth man.
The Thunder also have a talented roster, with Zac Triplett and Oliver Hayes-Brown more than capable of asking the Pioneers questions on the defensive end.
Action will tip-off at 8pm in what should be another exciting contest at the Pioneers’ new home stadium.
