Another agonising break between games for the Castec Rural Mount Gambier Pioneers came to an end on the weekend after a series of competitive trial games against the Woodville Warriors.

Both the Pioneers’ men’s and women’s squads took on the annual challenge at Millicent’s Peter Seebohm Stadium to shift their 2022 preparations into top gear.

It was a particularly poignant moment for the men, who made a comeback after being starved of on court action since July due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Despite the limited build up with the full squad yet to fully assemble, Richard Hill’s team stacked up well against a big-bodied Woodville outfit.

Mount Gambier got the year off to a winning start with a late comeback being the difference in a narrow 111-107 victory last Friday night.

The Pioneers could not go back-to-back on the following night going down by double figures, but it was a starting point.

The usual suspects such as captain Tom Daly attacked the ring, while Erik “Ezy” Burdon was getting his eye in from the three-point line.

Adelaide travelers Michael Harris and Tom Kubank showed some positive signs after enjoying little exposure with their teammates in recent weeks.

Brothers Kane and Toby de Wit were not afraid to get amongst it and rub shoulders with the opponents being a general.

The OneFortyOne Pioneers women were also in action at a pumping Peter Seebohm Stadium on both nights.

Much like the men, the local women’s team edged out Woodville by five points on the opening night.

Coach Matt Sutton said it was a nail-biting finish as the Warriors closed in at the death.

“We had a good lead heading into the final minutes, but we lost our nerves which could have been down to fatigue,” he said.

“But at this level you must be better at this level.

“In the second game we did not convert as well, but managed to connect in the second half.

“But turnovers started to become a theme of the game and gave the other side opportunities which was beneficial to them down the track.”

Reflecting on his team’s first time on the court in 248 days, Hill said it went as expected with the boys shaking off some rust.

“It was pretty scratchy as you would expect, but it was a good hit out for us and what we needed” he said.

“We have a game in Portland in a couple of weeks and two more in Melbourne, so we only have three practice games to get in shape and when you consider we had not played in an awful long time, it just felt good to be out there.”

Hill said it was a relief to get over the line in the season opener with the defence stepping up when it mattered before fatigue set in 24 hours later.

“We finished brilliantly at the end on the Friday night to come from 16 points down with six minutes to go and win,” he said.

“I think we just played better defence for a patch because we had not defended that well beforehand.

“But we had not played that well up until then and Saturday night was an even game through the first half before we ran out of gas.

“That might have been some fatigue, but you expect to struggle with these things when you have not played for a long time.

“The senior players had very little minutes and the guys from Adelaide had only arrived last week so it was vital for them to get some experience.

“There was not a lot of continuity with any of the stuff we have been doing.

“But I was not overly disappointed because it is very early and we played a decent side with some quality imports and Australian players.”

The doubleheader also announced the start of Harris’ career in a Pioneers’ jersey and the Adelaide product showed plenty of promise.

“It was Michael’s first game for us and it was important for him to practice for a couple of games,” Hill 
said.

“He had some good games scoring wise, but it will take a couple of games for him to get used to how we function.

“It was great to see him on court because he is a great athlete with a good skillset, so he should be a good asset for us and I look forward to working with him.”

Despite successfully navigating its way through the first on-court assignment of the season, Hill said the final squad is far from finalized.

The recent announcement of new import Mark St. Fort is a step in the right direction, but the Pioneers only just survived the weekend with only seven players available.

Hill said a battle still lies ahead to get a fully firing squad before the opening round of the 2022 NBL1 South season.

“Mark should be coming sometime this week, but we still do not have our second import yet,” he said.

“At times we have felt like we were close, but have ran into a few roadblocks, so I am hopeful we can sort it out soon.

“The sooner the better because we need to get it sorted.

“We do not have the depth at the minute because Michael is the only player that has come in after losing Titus Robinson, Duom Dawam and Kyle Tipene with Nick Marshall not here yet.”