By Trevor Jackson
IT was a heart-stopping victory for the Pioneers women on Friday night at Wulanda.
The Pioneers hosted a tough Kilsyth Cobras outfit in Round 9 of the NBL1 South season and took the game down to the wire, with a two-point victory which brought the crowd to its feet.
The Pioneers were on early, with a regulation layup and a follow-up triple to Miela Goodchild.
Cassandra Brown was in on the action, with a pair of successful free throws, they a tip-in to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
A triple to Sherrie Calleia had the margin out to eight points, before the Cobras closed it down to two, when Imogen Rock hit a three to end the term with a five-point advantage.
The lead changed several times in the second term, as both sides looked to find their rhythm.
When Isabella Brantcatisano drained a three to put the Pioneers up by eight points early in the term, it appeared they had found their groove.
However, the Cobras then went on a 9-0 run to tie the game up, before Brancatisano dropped another two for the lead.
The hard work paid off for the Cobras and they took the lead on the back of a pair of two-point baskets, but a Goodchild two-pointer again tied proceedings up.
Everything the Cobras tried, the Pioneers answered and it was only a late triple to Nikita Young which kept the Cobras within a point at the long break.
The Pioneers appeared a bit tardy starting the second half, with the Cobras on an 9-0 run to lead by eight points with seven minutes remaining.
The Pioneers struggled to regain the advantage and with close to one minute on the game clock, Rock hit a two-pointer to again tie the game up.
The remainder of the term went basket-for-basket until the game was again tied up at the final break.
Brown hit the ground running in the final stanza, with a triple inside 10 seconds of play.
The arm-wrestle then continued, with Georgia Booth dropping a three for the Cobras to tie the game up mid-way through the term.
The Pioneers opened a nine-point advantage off a Brown triple, but even that was not enough to put the game to bed.
With no real time on the clock Young hit another two for the Cobras to close to within two points, but the final buzzer ensured the Pioneers walked off the court with a well-deserved victory.
Brown topped all scorers, with a 26-point, 12 rebound double-double.
Goodchild contributed 23 points and Calleia rounded out the double-figures scorers with 12.
the women currently sit in fourth place on the ladder, with nine wins and just three losses.
