It was a case of so close yet so far for the Castec Rural Mount Gambier Pioneers as they fell one win short of the ultimate glory.
Playing in their first ever NBL1 South season, the Pioneers set the pace on many fronts and steamed into the decider off the back of a successful finals campaign at The Icehouse.
A big travelling cohort of fans made the long trek long up to the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne and Mount Gambier initially put on a show giving them every reason to believe.
Michael Harris set the contest alight with an impressive three pointer and once Clevon Brown had delivered a thrilling dunk and Nick Marshall had put 10 points on the board on his own, the Pioneers looked unstoppable leading 23-13 at the first change.
However, things fell apart in the second term where Hobart outscored its rivals 22-6 which was eventually the difference on the scoreboard at the end.
Former Pioneer and current Tasmania JackJumpers NBL star Sam McDaniel was an unstoppable force, eventually collecting 32 points as the Chargers’ completely overwhelmed the Pioneers.
Mount Gambier coach Richard Hill said there was no turning back after the second term as Hobart was far too strong across all areas, especially in the shooting department with the two-point percentage a lowly 18% and 22% for the second and third terms respectively.
“We always knew Hobart was a very good team with a good roster so we had to have an awful lot go right to win,” he said.
“Our preparation was okay and we started well playing our style of game in a dominant first quarter, but we were never going to be able keep that up.
“They changed a few things and we just could not cope being out of our comfort zone.
“The second quarter was terrible and things we normally do well – like shooting – was poor.
“They defended well because they were so much bigger and stronger, but we had a lot of open looks that we just could not make.
“They were bigger at every level by a lot so we were not able to protect the rim or put them under any sort of pressure after half time.”
Although Hill highlighted the efforts of Marshall offensively (25 points) and Tom Kubank and Kane de Wit defensively, he believed McDaniel was “the difference” scoring 32 points from all areas.
As much as the 78-62 loss to Hobart will sting for a long time, it should not cast a shadow over Mount Gambier’s remarkable 2022 campaign.
No team attacked the basket quite like the Pioneers with the likes of Marshall and Michael Harris playing so well they will be in the NBL soon, while Tom Kubank has attracted attention from the Netherlands.
Hill said the defeat would still hurt for a long time, but was quick to highlight the odds the Pioneers overcame to get there.
“Making a grand final is always an achievement, but it is a bit deflating if you do not win,” he said.
“Across the last nine completed seasons we have made something like eight grand finals so we have had a pretty good run.
“Especially amongst all of the COVID stuff we had to deal with after rebuilding the club after virtually being kicked out of the (SEABL) competition and coming back to play in Adelaide.
“So I am pretty proud of what we have been able to achieve and we are really the most successful second tier club in Australia in terms of performance for the last 10 years.
“So that itself is a good achievement when you have little old Mount Gambier of 25,000 people playing against a capital city of 240,000 people.
“It takes a lot of work from a lot of people so it is satisfying, but it is disappointing as all hell.”
