The OneFortyOne Pioneers are on the road again this weekend for a NBL1 South conference Victorian double header.
They will face the Ballarat Miners on Saturday night, before backing up against the Bendigo Braves on Sunday in round eight.
In what looms as a weekend of solid match ups, Mount Gambier sits in the midst of Ballarat and Bendigo, with the Miners 13th on the ladder and Bendigo in 18th.
The Pioneers have had a relatively quiet two weeks, only playing two games in the space of eight days.
However, head coach Matt Sutton said there were pros and cons to lengthy spells in between matches.
“For anyone who is carrying injuries it is good,” he said.
“The longer week gave us some prep, when we executed against Geelong it was good.
“But it was a weird week as we played Saturday then did not play again til Sunday.”
Sutton said his players simply made the most of the training opportunities in between matches.
“We just roll with it and do our best,” he said.
“It’s not something we spend our time thinking about too much.”
Almost half way through the 2025 NBL1 South season, Sutton said there was room for improvement for his side.
“We are 10 games in and 12 to go,” he said.
“We always plan to be up the top, but I do not put any pressure on that until you know the group.
“We have had a few disruptions in pre season, players coming in late, we did not know where it would line up.
“it’s not where we want to be (in 14th on the ladder), but we cannot linger on it, we just prepare for next week.”
Turning his attention to the upcoming fixture, Sutton said his team was looking forward to the contests this weekend.
“They (Ballarat and Bendigo) are both in similar positions to us, players like us in and out and injuries,” he said.
“They are two teams that we match up pretty well against.
“But no doubt in the nature of the competition every game is a tough game and you have to be at your best.”
Sutton has spent the week preparing for the games against Ballarat and Bendigo, identifying Abby Wehrung as a key Miners player to contain.
“She’s a really high level player who plays well at the next level and is having a strong season,” he said.
“They have also got a new import that is pretty good.”
