By Lachlan Onions
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers women’s team has faced a difficult fortnight and will be eager to bounce back on Friday night when they host the Waverley Falcons.
Action will tip-off at 6pm at Wulanda and this is a clash not to be missed between two strong sides.
This will definitely be a testing fixture for the Pioneers as the Falcons have been in impeccable form this year and won all seven games so far.
Mount Gambier started its campaign strongly with five-straight wins but has lost its last three games with an understrength side.
The Pioneers will need vice-captain Isabella Brancatisano to continue her recent form if they are to overcome one of the strongest defensive teams in the conference.
Brancatisano scored a whopping 35 points last week against Geelong and her presence will be vital for the Pioneers.
Elsewhere on the floor, Haliegh Reinoehl and Sherrie Calleia have been consistent performers while Miela Goodchild has been one of the most dominant payers in the competition.
Goodchild missed last week’s double-header for the Pioneers as she was a part of the Australian 3×3 Basketball squad which was competing in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Israel last weekend.
The 22-year-old has been near-unstoppable on both ends of the floor for the Pioneers this season and is second in the NBL1 South for points per game with 26 and has also averaged just over nine rebounds per game.
Reinoehl has been a consistent performer in the forward and centre positions and averages a solid 14.5 points per game, while Calleia has been a pivotal point guard and averages over 12 points per outing.
These players will have to be at their best as they will be without captain Cassandra Brown and Imogen Rock, who have both suffered injuries in recent weeks.
Looking at the visitors, the two guards have been sublime playmakers this season.
Rebecca Cole and Amelia Todhunter are both in the top four in the conference for assists per game with the former averaging 6.75 and the latter 5.83.
Cole has also been a prominent scorer herself and averages just under 20 points per contest.
In the frontcourt, Maddi Utti has been a prominent scorer both in the paint and from beyond the arc.
However, the Pioneers cannot afford to focus their attention on just one or two players as the Falcons showed off their versatility with all five players scoring 13 points or more in their win over Launceston last weekend.
