Goodchild on fire again as Pioneers secure win

Men sunk by individual bbrilliance from Ben Ayre

The OneFortyOne Mount Gambier Pioneers women returned to Wulanda in style with an 87-71 victory over the Sandringham . Back at home to host the Sabres on the back of beating the Waverley Falcons, the Pioneers were looking to get back on a roll that saw them win the first five games of the 2023 season. For the opening three quarters it was a tight contest as well with the Sabres holding a two-point lead both at the quarter time and half time breaks.

However, Mount Gambier turned things around in style in the third quarter to turn that two point deficit into a 13 point lead by the final change on the back of scoring the last seven points. The Pioneers then scored the opening six points of the fourth quarter to complete the 13-0 run that blew the game open, going on to win by 16.

The win improves Mount Gambier to 7-3 on the season. Miela Goodchild was again the star in the win for Mount Gambier with 27 points, six rebounds and five steals on shooting 11/22 from the floor, 2/4 from downtown and 3/3 at the foul line.

Isabella Brancatisano added 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Pioneers, Sherrie Calleia 17 points, eight assists and three boards, and Haliegh Reinoehl 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Things did bnot go so smoothly for the castec Rural Supplies Mount Gambier Pioneers men courtesy of a stunning individual performance from Ben Ayre that lifted the Sandringham Sabres to a statement 95-82 road victory on Friday night.

Sandringham arrived in Mount Gambier looking to strengthen their claims on a top four position after the previous week’s thumping of the Keilor Thunder while the Pioneers were attempting to avoid a fourth successive defeat.

Ayre delivered a stunning opening to the game for the Sabres with the new South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL point guard putting up 18 points by quarter time with his team leading 36-20. From there, Sandringham was still leading by 18 points at halftime despite a triple on the buzzer for the home team from Nick Marshall.

A Ben Ayre to CJ Asuncion-Byrd alley-oop finish on three quartertime kept Sandringham leading by 16 points and from there they secured the 11-point victory away from home.

The win improves the Sabres to a 7-4 record on the season while it’s tough times for the Pioneers who have lost four straight after winning the first six of 2023.

On the back of that 18-point first quarter, Ben Ayre delivered 39 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Sabres while shooting 11/23 from the field, 3/10 from downtown and 14/16 from the free-throw line.

Nick Marshall was again the Pioneers’ best ending up with 33 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Dylan Marshall added 15 points on 3/5 three-point shooting with Austin Shelley adding 10 points and three rebounds, Leonard HarperBaker 10 points and 15 rebounds, and Julian Pesava nine points and six boards.

PIONEERS IN ACTION AT WULANDA:) Miela Goodchild was again a sdtandout for the Pioneers; Nick Marshall was a stand out again on Friday night and (left)Isabella Brancatisano continues to build her reputation.