The Mount Gambier Pioneers will be looking to lift the roof off the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre on Saturday night when the Knox Raiders come to town.
The OneFortyOne Pioneers women will be determined to continue their winning streak which has them sitting third on the NBL1 South conference ladder, while the Castec Rural Pioneers men face another tough challenge for their depleted side.
The women’s side has won seven of its 10 matches and only lost once on its new home court.
“It’s going to be a tough game, Knox is a team with a really good size, they are one of the best defensive sides in the competition so we will have our work cut out for us,” head coach Matt Sutton said.
The team is hoping to welcome back captain Cassandra Brown after being sidelined with injury for several weeks.
“We have had Cass back on the training track this week which is good, so all signs are pointing towards her returning this week hopefully,” Sutton said.
“She is our MVP from last year, we have been very small over the last period, she helps with size and versatility, hopefully we get positive results and she can play this week.”
Young gun Imogen Rock returned to the court last week, complete with protective face mask, after damaging her eye earlier this month.
“We are a team full of accessories now … the mask is for her protection, we are very lucky to have her back, she fitted straight back in which was good,” Sutton said.
Sutton said he was pleased with last week’s match against Sandringham, which Mount Gambier won by 16 points.
“We were very happy with the second half of last week’s game,” he said.
“We were just okay in the first half, we challenged the girls with some areas we needed improvement in, they stepped up to the challenge … and found another gear to go to.”
Sutton said the players enjoyed playing at their new home court, which had been a successful hunting ground.
“We get a boost from our fans and the atmosphere is really good, it’s incredibly professional the way the game is set up and how the night runs … the energy is fantastic,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Castec Rural Pioneers men’s team is in seventh on the ladder, with Knox in third having won eight of its 12 games.
The men are likely to head into the match still without injured tall Jacob Lampkin, however there is hope that Tom Kubank will return from The Netherlands in time to take the court.
Men’s head coach Richard Hill said the Raiders would pose a tough challenge for his charges.
“They beat Sandringham the week before I think, so they are a high-level team … we are hoping we might have Jacob back, but it is doubtful, we might have Kuey back though,” he said.
“It will be a very tough match, we are trying to hold the fort at the moment until we get Jacob back and Kuey back and we can get on the front foot again. If we can get off to a good start and keep it close we might be able to win down the stretch but it’s going to be tough.”
The OneFortyOne Pioneers women will tip off at 6pm, with the Castec Rural Pioneers men taking the court at 8pm.
