Women advance to prelim in nailbiter

Both Pioneers teams searching for NBL1 grand final berths this weekend

The OneFortyOne Mount Gambier Pioneers women have advanced to the NBL1 South preliminary final with a tnse two point victory on their home court on Friday night.

Hosting the defending champions the Ringwood Hawks, it was a do-or-die final and it loved up to its top billing. In the end, it was huge performances for their respective teams from WNBL stars Miela Goodchild (pictured left) and Marena Whittle in a contest always destined to go down to the wire.

Precious little separated the two teams the entire game and the biggest lead was the six points that Mount Gambier led by on a host of occasions throughout the second half. The biggest margin of the first half was the five points that both teams managed to lead by at different stages of the second term.

It was the Pioneers clinging to a three-point advantage at quartertime before Ringwood turned it around with 22 points to 19 in the second stanza with scores all square at 39-39 at the main break.

Mount Gambier managed to build a six-point lead during the third period and were still up four by three quarter-time, and the Pioneers were still on top by six with 4:45 to play. However, Ringwood hit back starting with a three-point bomb from Whittle before Martia Hermida scored inside and then Toni Farnworth hit two free-throws and suddenly the Hawks had reclaimed the lead.

Isabella Brancatisano shook off a rough shooting night for Mount Gambier to respond with a three-pointer to return her team to the lead with 2:15 to play.

That shot would prove the match winner with neither team able to score in the final two minutes including a hugely emotional Farnworth missing what would have been a match-winning threepoint attempt for Ringwood in the dying stages.

The Pioneers held on for the twopoint win which advances them to a preliminary final next Saturday away to the undefeated Bendigo Braves while the championship defence is over for Ringwood.

Ahead of joining Perth Lynx for the upcoming WNBL season, Miela Goodchild produced a match-winning performance for Mount Gambier with 27 points, seven rebounds and four steals on shooting 9/13 from the field, 5/7 from downtown and 4/4 at the free-throw line.

Sherrie Calleiaadded 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Pioneers, Haliegh Reinoehl nine points and three rebounds, and Isabella Brancatisano seven points, four assists, four steals and two boards.

The Castec Rural Supplies Mount Gambier Pioneers men were already safely ensconsed in a home preliminary final set down for this Friday night at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.