By Lachlan Onions
THE business end of the NBL1 South season is upon us and the Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s team will take to the floor for their final home-and-away games this weekend.
The Pioneers face an away double-header to end the campaign and will enter the clashes knowing they have already done enough to book a finals berth.
However, there is no time to let up as Mount Gambier will have its sights set on either a top-four or top-two finish.
As it stands, the Pioneers are fourth on the ladder with a 16 and six win/loss record.
While incredibly unlikely, there is still the possibility they could claim top spot if they win both their games and the ladder-leading Knox Raiders lose both of their games this weekend.
However, the more likely outcome will have the Pioneers end the season somewhere between second and sixth on the ladder.
With a two-game gap between the Pioneers and the fifth and sixth-placed Eltham Wildcats and Waverley Falcons, the Pioneers need to win just one of their games this weekend to book a double-chance for finals.
Like last year, the real battleground for the final round of the season is going to take place in the second, third and fourth places on the ladder.
The Frankston Blues are currently second and have a 15/6 record this year.
However, the Blues have just one game this weekend so could easily fall as low as fourth by the end of the round.
In a repeat of last year, there is almost nothing to separate the Sandringham Sabres and the Pioneers.
Both teams are level on wins and losses but the Sabres currently hold third place by 0.5 per cent.
With the Sabres and Blues set to face-off on Saturday, it means if the Pioneers win both of their games, the lowest they can finish is third and percentage will then come into play as to who takes second place and earns a home qualifying final.
Mount Gambier will face the Falcons on Saturday and the Wildcats on Sunday.
The Pioneers and Wildcats have yet to play each other this campaign but the Falcons and Pioneers met back in Round 6.
On that occasion, an understrength Pioneers side fell short as they lost by six points at Wulanda.
In that game, Dexter Kernich-Drew and Dillon Stith were pivotal players for Waverley.
The duo have been in fine form this season and will be players to watch when they face Mount Gambier.
Kernich-Drew averages just over 19 points per game, while Stith averages 22.78 points and 9.33 rebounds per game.
Looking at Eltham, Angus Glover and Owen Foxwell will be pivotal in the backcourt.
Foxwell averages 18.13 points per game, while Glover averages 19.26 points per game.
As for the Pioneers, they are now at full strength for the first time this season and boast a strong nine-man rotation.
Jacob Lampkin, Tom Kubank and Nick Marshall have been the standout players starting, while Titus Robinson and Dylan Marshall have been on fire coming off the bench.
Nick Marshall has been at his absolute best this season and averages 22.6 points per game, while Lampkin has been the backbone of the team in the paint and has averaged 20.4 points and 11.47 rebounds per game in his first season in the Blue Lake City.
With a full strength line-up the Pioneers will head into both of their games as favourites but the home-court advantage for the Falcons and Wildcats means they will have to be at their best to claim victory.
Action will tip-off at 8pm on Saturday and then at 1.30pm on Sunday.
