James Murphy
THE Mount Gambier Pioneers are back at Wulanda again this Friday night for Round 4 of NBL1 South basketball.
The women enter the round undefeated after five game, but will face some stiff opposition in the form of ladder leader Keilor Thunder.
The Thunder have played six games for six wins and come into the clash off the back of two big wins last week.
A huge 50-point thrashing of Case Cavaliers was followed by a 34-point win over Launceston Tornadoes on Sunday.
The Pioneers hosted Launceston last Friday night and were also in control for most of the match, setting up a 16-point win with a 31-13 first quarter.
The home team can expect to be pushed this round and while last week had plenty of opportunity for development players to earn court time, it will likely be a different story this time.
Captain Isabella Brancatisano is in dangerous form and she has excelled in every outing so far this season.
She enters the round off a double-double, which was bordering on a triple-double with eight assists complementing her 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Zitina Aokuso has also been a standout so far and her ability both in attack and defensively have made a huge difference at pivotal points.
Sherrie Calleia enters off a strong performance which earned praise from coach Matt Sutton, while Haliegh Reinoehl and Samantha Fatkin have also made the presences known.
Coming off the bench, Zoe Hurley had some clutch moments last round and will look for another strong performance.
The Pioneers certainly have the talent to match anyone in the league, but will need to iron out any kinks before tonight’s blockbuster.
Looking at Keilor’s list and they are also versatile under the basket.
Against Launceston last week the Thunder had four players in double figures and were led by Isabelle Bourne who shot 21, while Penina Davidson had a double-double of 16 points and 23 rebounds.
Bourne also had a double-double in the previous game against the Cavaliers, shooting 25 points and dragging down 13 rebounds – 11 of which came from the defensive end.
Match-ups will be crucial for the Pioneers this week but it promises to be a high-intensity clash.
Tip off is scheduled for 6pm, with the women’s game to be followed by the men at 8pm.
