By Lachlan Onions
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s team will look to keep the good times rolling in their double-header road-trip against Geelong and Melbourne this weekend.
The Pioneers sit on top of the NBL1 South ladder and have won six games straight to start the season.
Nick Marshall and Jacob Lampkin have been flying high and have been perennial threats for Mount Gambier this season.
Lampkin is fourth in the competition for points per game and rebounds per game.
The American averages 23.17 points and 12.33 rebounds.
Lampkin has been a consistent performer and is a threat both in the paint and from deep.
From his 13 attempts from three-point range this season, he has buried seven of them.
Marshall has continued to impress in the backcourt and like Lampkin, averages 23.17 points per game.
The 23-year-old has continued to show why he was selected for the Boomers earlier in the year as he has led the way on offense and scored at least 20 points in five of his six games this year.
Marshall is a three-level scorer and his playmaking ability makes him a persistent threat to any offense.
He has also proven to be solid on the defensive end of the court and averages 2.33 steals per game – the fifth-best average in the NBL1 South.
Looking at the rest of the roster, the Pioneers have impressive depth in every part of the court and William Mayfield has been one of the standout bench players in the competition this year.
Mayfield has come off the bench in every game yet has still managed to score more than 10 points every time and posted a season-high 18 points last time out.
With the Pioneers playing two games in as many days, Mayfield’s ability to score off the bench will be vital.
Julian Pesava is another versatile player who’s strength makes him a solid player in the paint at both ends.
Looking at the opposition, the Geelong Supercats have won just one game from five this season and are 18th on the ladder, while the Melbourne Tigers have won three games from seven and are 12th on the ladder.
For Geelong, Gabe Hadley and George Blagojevic will be the players who the Pioneers will have to watch out for.
Hadley is second in the competition for points per game with 25.4 and was lethal against Kilsyth in Round 1 when he scored 37 points.
Blagojevic is second in the competition for rebounding and averages 12.5 boards and 20.25 points per game.
In his four games this season, Blagojevic has recorded three 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles.
The Andrew Gaze-coached Melbourne Tigers have vastly improved from last season and will likely post a challenge for Richard Hill’s side.
Taj Chehhal has impressed this season and averages 17.14 points per game.
Chehhal was at his best in Round 2 when he posted 29 points in the Tigers’ narrow loss to the Waverley Falcons.
Callan McDonald has been another handy player this season and averages over nine points and rebounds per game.
The Pioneers will tip-off against Geelong on Saturday night at 6.30pm ACST and will back it up on Sunday afternoon against Melbourne at 2pm.
