By Trevor Jackson
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers men kicked of Round 10 of the NBL1 South season with a hard-fought victory over Ringwood Hawks on the road, before a strong showing against Ballarat Miners for another victory.
With little room for error throughout the four quarters, the Pioneers had to fight hard down the stretch to ensure a victory.
The Pioneers trailed at the first break by five points, but turned that around in the second to tie the game up at half time.
A 30-20 third quarter saw the Pioneers finally on top, but any thought of a comfortable victory was soon dispelled, as the Hawks pushed hard to reclaim the lead.
That was not to be as the Pioneers won the final term by three points to secure the 105-98 victory.
Much fuss was made about the return of Titus Robinson to the roster, with the fan favourite playing 15 minutes for seven points and seven rebounds.
But it was Jacob Lampkin who topped the score sheets with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Tom Kubank fell just one rebound short of his own double-double, with 21 points and nine rebounds.
William Mayfield (16 points) and Austin Shelley (12) rounded out the double-figure scorers.
Sunday afternoon the Pioneers headed to Ballarat and managed a comfortable 105-85 win over the Miners.
The Miners won the first and last quarters, but it was the Pioneers efforts in the middle two terms which made the difference.
At the first break the Pioneers trailed by two points, then stepped up the intensity to claim the lead and pull clear with a 30-19 quarter.
The third quarter was equally impressive for the visiting Pioneers, with a 28-16 term to extend the lead and make it a tough prospect for the Miners come back.
They did win the final term, but by just one point, which left them well short of the Pioneers’ total, with a 105-85 scoreline.
Kubank was again in ominous touch, draining 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
Dylan Marshall had an impressive game, finishing with 21 points, while Lampkin contributed 18 points and eight rebounds.
To round out the double-figure scorers, Kane deWit contributed 14 points and Julian Pesava 12.
The results see the men up into fifth position, with the chance of a top-four spot a reality.
