It was a dominant weekend for the Castec Rural Pioneers as they kicked off their NBL1 South 2025 season over the border with back to back games on Saturday and Sunday, with two impressive victories.
Mount Gambier v Geelong
On Saturday night the Pioneers kicked off their 2025 season with a massive win over Geelong United in Geelong as Mount Gambier dominated the game on both ends of the floor despite the absence of new recruit Kaden Archie.
The Pioneers came out firing in the first quarter as they went on a 15-6 run in the opening five minutes which set the tone for the night as all players did some damage, with Mount Gambier taking a 20 point lead to kick off the match.
Following the spectacular quarter the Pioneers looked to keep the momentum while Geelong worked to get things going after only scoring 12 points in the opener.
Geelong started to knock down some shots in the second term as they attempted to put a bit of pressure back on the Pioneers.
However Mount Gambier did well to keep the scoreboard ticking, despite struggling from behind the arc, going two for seven in the quarter.
Despite the poor shooting the Pioneers still had a dominant presence in the paint on the back of Titus Robinson and Akech Aliir as well as rebounding support from new recruit Joe Palmer.
At half time the Pioneers had a comfortable lead, up by 27.
The Pioneers’ defensive pressure was ramped up again in the third as Geelong struggled mightily at knocking down shots, only managing 11 points.
The Pioneers defence helped cover up their third quarter shooting performance as they struggled everywhere other than the paint, going one for eight from deep.
Heading into the final term the Pioneers’ lead had further increased, to be up by 39 points.
Mount Gambier finished strong as they again shut down the Victorians, holding them to 16 points while knocking down some shots to snare a 50 point win, 108-58.
It was an all-round great team win with many players stepping up as five players finished in double digits.
After missing a majority of the pre-season, Akech Aliir was back better than ever with a double double of 31 points and 10 rebounds while also recording three blocks.
In his season debut Joe Palmer was also dominant as he too had a double double, scoring 17 points and grabbing a game high 12 rebounds.
Guards Austin Shelley and Kane de Wit were great defensively, both picking up three steals.
Mount Gambier v Keilor
The Pioneers backed up the win in Geelong with another on Sunday as they comfortably accounted for the Keilor Thunder.
It was a special day for Austin Shelley and Dylan Marshall as they both played their 50th game for the club.
The first term was fairly even until the final few minutes as both sides went back and forth to begin the match.
At the three minute mark the Pioneers held a two point lead which soon changed as Mount Gambier locked in to close out the opening quarter, going on a 14-3 run to close out the stanza with a 13 point lead.
The Pioneers continued to build on their lead in the second term despite a solid challenge from the Thunder who scored 19 points.
For the Pioneers it was all Austin Shelley in the second term as he was lights out from deep, knocking down three threes from five shots.
At half time the Pioneers were still well and truly in control with an 18 point lead.
The Pioneers offence kept rolling in the third as Shelley continued to knock down shots, hitting another three triples from five attempts, with the Pioneers heading into the final term up by 25.
The last quarter was relatively even as the Thunder actually outscored the Pioneers, but only by one point.
Despite that, Mount Gambier’s lead was too grand for the Thunder to conquer as they fell short by 24 points, 100-76.
Sunday’s win made it back-to-back games of scoring in triple digits for the Pioneers.
Once again it was an all-round performance from all players as the Pioneers had five players in double digits again.
Joe Palmer had another incredible game to cap off a great weekend, finishing with a second double double with a game high 25 points and 12 rebounds while being a sniper from deep, knocking down four threes.
Austin Shelley was another great performer, scoring 20 points and hitting six threes.
Titus Robinson also finished off a great weekend with an 18 point game while another new recruit in Alex Mudronja was solid, scoring 12 points and recording a game high seven assists.
