The OneFortyOne Pioneers women are one step closer to the NBL1 South conference grand final after defeating minor champion Knox in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The Pioneers stamped their authority on the finals series, downing the Raiders by eight points in the qualifying final.
The win gives Mount Gambier this weekend off, as they await either the Dandenong Rangers or Waverley Falcons in a home preliminary final.
Prior to Saturday night’s final, the Pioneers had played Knox twice this season, inflicting one of the Raiders’ two losses for the year, before going down to them by three points only two weeks ago.
Knox finished on top of the ladder on a 12-game winning streak at 20-2, with the Pioneers finishing fourth with 14-8.
Mount Gambier travelled to Knox determined to continue their push into finals, with the Pioneers opening the scoring within the first minute.
The sides traded baskets for the first three minutes of play, before Pioneer Sammy Fatkin opened her long range account, beginning a sensational shooting match which saw her top score with 27 points.
The lead changed several times in the first five minutes, before Mount Gambier set about opening up a buffer, and from there they held the advantage.
Fatkin landed three three pointers for the quarter, scoring 15 of Mount Gambier’s 26 points, to lead Knox by seven at the first break.
The Pioneers held Knox scoreless for the first two minutes of play in the second quarter, pushing out to a 10 point lead, before the Raiders cut it back to six.
Mount Gambier’s Isabella Brancatisano, Haliegh Reinoehl, Sherrie Calleia and Fatkin went on a long range scoring rampage, knocking down 17 points to Knox’s seven, before closing out the quarter up 51-38.
The Raiders used the half time break to reset and came out firing in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 scoring run in the first three minutes of play to cut the deficit to five.
Head coach Matt Sutton called a quick time out to halt the hosts’ momentum, which prompted back to back threes from Brancatisano and Zitina Aokuso to push back out to an 11 point lead.
Brancatisano, Fatkin and Keryl Ousey continued the long range accuracy, and despite Knox outscoring the Pioneers 18-17 for the quarter, Mount Gambier retained a 12 point lead heading into the final stanza.
The Raiders again rallied as play resumed, cutting the Pioneers’ lead to six in a desperate attempt to claim the match and a week off.
Aokuso fouled out of the game but the Pioneers were not done, with Fatkin, Brancatisano and Ousey shooting the lights out to be up by nine with 90 seconds left on the clock.
The win was sealed after a tech foul was awarded against Raider Alicia Froling, sending the Pioneers to the stripe to take the match 86-78.
Fatkin top scored with 27 points, with Brancatisano knocking down 16, Calleia 13 and Reinoehl 12.
Head coach Sutton said his side was pleased with the outcome of the match and hinted at his players’ confidence.
“We were quietly confident going into the game with our game plan and our previous games against them helped to give us some confidence,” he said.
“It’s one thing to have confidence but another to step up and get it done, which the girls did.
“Sam Fatkin obviously stepped up, scoring 18 points in the first half without a miss, that allowed us to put some distance on the scoreboard.
“Keryl Ousey really stepped up in a time of need when Zitina was in a foul trouble, as did Zoe Hurley … they were a big reason we were able to hold on.”
Sutton acknowledged the impact the Pioneers players had on Knox’s key big Alicia Froling, who was held to only six points in the first half.
“We put a lot of time into the strategy around Alicia, she is probably the MVP candidate for the league, and she had a big impact on why they finished top,” he said.
“We had a plan and the girls did a really good job of executing it.”
Sutton said while his team was looking forward to a week off, it posed a different aspect for preparations.
“Spirits are high, a week off – while you definitely want it, it can be an awkward prep week,” he said.
“The girls seem good and I am sure we will have a high level of training this week.
“They are looking forward to playing the prelim at Wulanda. Any time we can play at home is a good thing, when it is a final you just strap up and wherever the court is you play, but a final at home is a bonus.”
