The Castec Rural Pioneers will be on the road again this weekend as they have a tough two games ahead of them in the NBL1 South conference.
After their tough loss to Dandenong last round the Pioneers sit second on the NBL1 South ladder with a record of 9-4.
On Saturday the Pioneers will take on the fifth placed Kilsyth Cobras, followed by the top of the table Knox Raiders on Sunday.
It will be a tough two games for Mount Gambier and they cannot really afford to lose both, which could result in them dropping out of the tight top five.
The Cobras have been in pretty good form over their past five games, only recording two losses in those outings.
Kilsyth has several quality players who are sure to cause problems for the Pioneers, including Khadim Sy who is averaging 15.46 points, 7.62 rebounds and 1.46 blocks a game.
Along with Sy, Adrian Tomada is another player who will be a key contributor for the Cobras.
Tomada currently averages 12.92 points and 4.69 assists per game.
On Sunday the Pioneers’ clash with Knox will be one of their toughest contests this season as the Raiders are one of the best sides in the country – and the current national champion.
Knox sits first on the ladder with 12 wins and only one loss this season and have proved to be the side to beat.
The Raiders have a stacked roster which will be a tough challenge for the Pioneers.
Keli Leaupepe is their leading scorer for the season and averages 19.55 points a game.
Along with Leaupepe is Sunday Dech, who has a lot of NBL experience playing with the Adelaide 36ers.
Another tough match up will be against Norvel Pelle who is a former NBA player and is averaging 10.38 points and 1.25 blocks a game.
Heading into the weekend the Pioneers will be missing one of their key players, with Alex Mudronja out with a calf injury.
However the Pioneers will welcome back into the side Jack Haggett who returns from America after playing for Black Hills State University.
Pioneers head coach Richard Hill believes this weekend will be a very tough challenge for his side, starting on Saturday night.
“Kilsyth’s form has been pretty good, they have beaten some pretty good teams,” he said.
“They’re a deep and talented team and their front line is very big, so we really need to get that game on Saturday night and it will not be easy at all.
“When they shoot the ball well from three they are very, very tough – they rely heavily on that which is unusual for a big side, so if we can take that away and slow down their point guard who’s very good, then I think we can win.”
Hill believes Sunday’s match will be another tough contest against a solid team in Knox.
“Knox are clearly the best team in the comp from a personnel point of view, but they’re a little vulnerable because you can only take so many shots because they have got an awful lot of talent,” he said.
“So if we shoot the ball well and play our style then we might be a chance of upsetting them, but we will need to play exceptionally well to beat the team that is loaded.”
Hill believes the long weekend break was a major benefit heading into this weekend.
“I feel like our guys needed a break,” he said.
“We have been working really hard and we had a pretty extensive preseason which helped us get off to a great start.
“We have been on the road three out of the last four weeks before the break, so it has been wearing.
“And reviewing our last game against Dandenong we were making mistakes that we do not normally make, and when you’re making dumb decisions you don’t usually do. then sometimes you can put that down as a bit of fatigue perhaps.”
The Pioneers will be back home next week when they host the Melbourne Tigers.
