A big crowd will venture out to the Icehouse tomorrow night where the Castec Rural Supplies Mount Gambier Pioneers will take aim at a potential preliminary final.

To do that and give their premiership chances a massive boost, they must first overcome Kilsyth in the qualifying final.

The Pioneers just edged out the Cobras to the all important second spot on percentage after a thrilling end to a competitive season.

Despite a narrow defeat to Waverley in the final game, a win over Ballarat was enough to score a home final which will be a big moment for the team playing its first final since the days of the SA Premier League back in 2019.

Pioneers coach Richard Hill said it would be a great occasion and believes having the double chance is a big advantage with many teams in contention.

“It gives us a genuine chance in the finals because from Hobart (minor premiers) right through to position eight are all good enough to win,” he said.

“To finish second in what is an unbelievably tough competition with the youth we have is brilliant.”

The only downside of the home final is the schedule, with the game landing smack-bang in the middle of a busy period for the Pioneers.

The side finished the season with a doubleheader and instantly started preparing for tomorrow’s final.

Hill said it was not ideal preparation, but it is the reality of the situation and hopes everyone can get by with captain Tom Daly still on the sidelines.

“We raced back home (Sunday night) and got straight back to work planning for the final,” he said.

“Nick (Marshall) is in Adelaide and Michael (Harris) is in Perth and they will be back the day before so there is an awful lot going on.

“So there is no time to enjoy it, but we just have to be ready to play Friday night.”

Despite the defeat to the Falcons, Hill was pleased with the team’s momentum heading towards finals.

Before the final game, Mount Gambier had scored four big wins on the trot by unleashing its aggressive and fast-scoring style.

“We had four really good wins and just kept getting better and better,” Hill said.

“Waverley was a good side and we just did not make shots early in the game and were 16 points down so we had to keep fighting back.

“We pulled them back and then let them off the chain in about two and half minutes when they scored 11 points and we made some tired mistakes.”

Mount Gambier has the bragging rights over Kilsyth after comfortably winning the clash also at the Icehouse 97-79.

The Pioneers also have won five of the seven head-to-heads across the journey, but Hill is wary of the Cobras’ threat with the side winning its last eight games to rise up to third on the ladder.

“Our win was a long time ago and they are now the form team of the competition,” he said.

“One player (Corey Jeffs) did not play much against us but has come into his role and scored 20-plus points in the last few games.

“They won eight games in a row to make it to the playoffs, so we have to play very well.”

With a home preliminary final on the line, it will be an unmissable contest and the Pioneers will back themselves to splash back into finals with fury.

The OneFortyOne Mount Gambier Pioneers women also receive the double chance, but do not enjoy the comforts of a home crowd.

Matt Sutton and the team travel to “The Rings” to take on Ringwood, but do not enter the playoffs at full steam after three successive defeats to Knox, Ballarat and Waverley.

Sutton said the biggest area of improvement required was in offense after low shooting percentages proved costly.

“We have not shot the ball in the last two rounds as well as we would have liked,” he said.

“Part of that is down to our shooting execution and also the other teams have done a good job of making us uncomfortable, so we need to create better opportunities and make better adjustments in defence.”

Sutton said it would not be easy against a Ringwood team renowned for defensive pressure, which also prevailed when they clashed at the same venue and won 62-55.

“They are one of the premier defensive teams of the competition,” he said.

“The last time we played them we had some really tight defensive battles, so our ability to get points on the board against a quality defence will be important.”

After winning just three of 13 games last year, Sutton said it was a remarkable achievement for the Pioneers to reach the finals – let alone the top four – and is looking forward to the challenge.

“It is a good reward for the group after working hard all year to get a finals spot,” he said.

“Finishing the top three is an awesome achievement.”

The star of the back page Harris also made the news off the court last week after the Mount Gambier bred boy was signed by leading NBL team Perth Wildcats and he will be out to make more headlines when the Castec Rural Supplies Pioneers hit the Icehouse in front of what is expected to be a sellout crowd tomorrow night with tip off from 7.30pm.

The OneFortyOne Pioneers women will start their finals clash against Ringwood at 5.30pm on Saturday.