Spot in title decider on the line

The season is still alive for the OneFortyOne Mount Gambier Pioneers women as they get ready to host the Waverley Falcons at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre on Saturday night in the NBL1 South preliminary final.

The two sides have not met since the opening round of the season when the Pioneers were dominant, winning 95-66 but if the two finals the Falcons have played are anything to go by, the Pioneers will be well aware of who has been doing the damage.

Carley Ernst, Rebecca Cole and McKenzie Forbes have dominated the stats sheet – the trio not just the main scorers for the Falcons but also crashing the boards and distributing quality ball.

Cole top scored in their comprehensive win over the Sabres with 29 points and backed it up with a 28 point game against the Rangers, adding six assists and two steals.

Ernst had a 25 point game against the Sabres, with four rebounds and six assists, before top scoring at the weekend with 32 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Forbes has been a model of consistency, putting up 18 and 15 points in the past fortnight with some strong work on the boards, as well as six steals across the two finals.

Of course, the Pioneers will be backing their depth and the fact they have recovered nicely from a late season slump to now be back in some impressive form.

The good news is, too, that the Pioneers have seen any one of their starting five take charge – Sherrie Calleia, Haliegh Reinoehl, Zitina Aokuso, Sam Fatkin and skipper Isa Brancatisano have all played key roles during the 2024 season and especially in the tail end of the season resurgence.