The night fan favourite Erik “Ezy” Burdon equalled the games record for the Castec Rural Mount Gambier Pioneers will be remembered by many who were at the Icehouse on Saturday night for a very long time as the hosts scratched out a one-point win over Knox.

Although the Raiders were not a threat to the Pioneers on the ladder, they gave a mighty scare to the home crowd with the result not decided until the dying moments in the NBL1 South battle raising awareness for domestic violence.

The high excitement levels were evident in the opening seconds of the game when Nick Marshall went upstairs.

His slam dunk in response to Jacob Foy’s layup which opened the scoring set the tone as the rivals traded blows throughout the first term.

Eventually through the fighting work of Jordan Rawls’ slamming steals and sinking shots, Mount Gambier earned a one point lead as the first break approached.

The advantage then quadrupled from one point to four on the buzzer when Michael Harris nailed a handy basket from three.

But soon Knox’s height and pressure started to cause some headaches and moments of frustration on the Pioneers’ bench.

The monstrous Deng Acouth was a dominant presence under the ring, using his wingspan to collect a total of 18 rebounds, more than double of the next best individual.

With this level of assistance around the basket, the Raiders made their move in the second term.

Little separated the sides during the first five minutes of the quarter with both defensive units reigning supreme, but the visitors soon found an extra gear.

Once Foy made some crucial shots from long range, Knox carried all the into the main break after turning a one-point lead to nine in just two minutes as the Pioneers endured foul trouble.

The only downside of the passage of play for the Raiders was the sight of Alex Robinson being assisted into the rooms after landing awkwardly on his knee on the stroke of half time.

This appeared to put the teams on a level playing field after Mount Gambier already had to grapple with the loss of captain Tom Daly to a hamstring injury which surfaced from the doubleheader on the road last week.

But Robinson was able to overcome his knee injury and return to the court after the long break.

Although the Pioneers knew they had to readjust when the teams swapped sides, three fouls in the first minute of the third term did not help the cause.

While Harris and Nick Marshall tried their best to make things happen, they could do little but watch on as Foy, Dylan Hare and Robinson combined brilliantly.

A timeout was called which gave the Pioneers a chance to readjust and get themselves back into the game.

Kane de Wit stood tall at both ends of the court and with the support of Harris and Marshall, Mount Gambier was able to cut the difference down to just seven points at the end of a heated quarter split by two contrasting halves.

The final term started in nail-biting fashion with nothing separating the sides as they traded baskets.

At the halfway mark of the 10-minute quarter, the difference on the scoreboard remained seven points and it appeared the Raiders were able to find the answers required.

With Mount Gambier staring down the barrel of a 16-point deficit and the game was drifting away.

However, the Pioneers then broke the game open with a huge finish.

Rawls sparked the turnaround with a couple of important shots before Harris then stepped up to the plate to bring the scoreboard back to level terms.

Although Reuben Te Rangi continued to frustrate the hosts, Knox’s previous control of the rebounds had disappeared and the game was anyone’s in the final two minutes.

In the big moments at the death, American import Rawls was everywhere making key baskets at the offensive end, plus perfecting blocks and steals at the defensive end.

Eventually a steal and three successful free throws from Marshall sealed the deal in what turned out to be a one-point win.

Rawls had started the week as the face of the Pioneers’ effort to raise awareness of domestic violence through the White Ribbon Round and finished it as the on court hero too.