By Lachlan Onions
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s team made it six straight wins to start the season with a solid 13-point victory over the Ringwood Hawks on Saturday night.
The Pioneers took a healthy six-point lead at the first break and after an even second quarter, went into the half time with a 43-37 lead.
With the contest still in the balance, the Hawks came out firing to begin the third quarter and led by three points with six and a half minutes left in the term.
However, Mount Gambier stepped up and flicked the switch to go on a 24-6 run.
After trailing on two occasions midway through the third quarter, the Pioneers went into the last break with a comfortable 15-point lead.
Mount Gambier extended its lead to 18 points in the opening stages of the final quarter before cruising to a 92-79 win.
Once again, it was Jacob Lampkin who featured heavily for the Pioneers as he recorded his third consecutive double-double of the season.
Lampkin grabbed a monster 17 rebounds and scored a solid 21 points.
He was supported by Austin Shelley (17), Nick Marshall (15) and William Mayfield (18) who all scored 15 points or more.
The Pioneers’ bench players once again made an impact as they scored 31 points, while the Hawks could only muster 15 from their non-starters.
Mayfield’s 18 points made it five-straight games for him with more than 10 points off the bench as he continues to prove himself as one of the leading bench players in the competition.
Shelley’s 17 points included 15 from beyond the arc as he hit five of 12 three-pointers in a solid shooting display.
After four rounds, the Pioneers hold top spot of the NBL1 South ladder with six wins from six and will take on the 18th-placed Geelong Supercats and 12th-placed Melbourne Tigers in an away double-header next weekend.
