South Spotlight | Chargers storm home to beat Pioneers

Featured image: Andrew Scherer / DLNQNT PHOTOGRAPHY

The Mount Gambier Pioneers were on track most of the night to end their NBL1 South losing streak but the Hobart Chargers had other ideas and came back from a 15-point deficit to score the 82-78 road win on Friday night.

Mount Gambier were back home at Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre attempting to snap a three-game losing slide after winning the first five matches of the season with the Chargers arriving having a last up win over the Bendigo Braves back on Saturday night.

The Pioneers then were leading by as much as 15 points in the second quarter and were still up four by three quarter-time before the Chargers scored the first five points of the last quarter.

They were able to then complete the job away from home for the eventual four-point win to make it consecutive victories at 3-5 with the Pioneers now having lost their past four to be 5-4.

>> SOUTH WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 5

>> ROCK'S OFFENCE NOW CATCHING UP TO DEFENCE

By the end of the night the major difference was the three-point shooting of Hobart with them going 12/30 opposed to the 6/29 from Mount Gambier which allowed the Chargers to win despite getting up 12 fewer shot attempts, having 19 turnovers and conceding 14 offensive rebounds to eight.

The Chargers were able to overcome trailing most of the night to make it consecutive wins with Tishara Morehouse finishing with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals on 12/22 shooting.

Sharna Thompson kept Hobart in touch with 17 points in the first half and finished with 24 for the game with four rebound and 6/15 shooting from behind the arc and 6/6 at the line.

Tyla Singleton had a big performance too for Hobart with 14 points and 16 rebounds despite the nine turnovers while Emerson Wells had nine points with 3/5 shooting from downtown, and Portia Chopping seven points and three rebounds.

The Pioneers looked on track to avoid the fourth straight loss for a lot of the night but it wasn't quite to be despite 29 points, 11 rebounds and three steals on 13/20 shooting from the field from Lara Edmanson.

Tilly Boler also finished with 17 points and five rebounds for the Pioneers despite 3/12 three-point shooting with Eva Langton adding 14 points and two boards, and Abby Prohaska eight points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Mount Gambier took charge of the contest in the first quarter by going on a 9-0 run on the way to a 10-point lead and then still holding a 23-17 advantage despite the 11 points from Sharna Thompson for Hobart.

But the Chargers were juts shooting 29 per cent as a team and despite taking five extra shot attempts, the Pioneers were up six thanks to shooting 56 per cent themselves.

The Pioneers then once again threatened to take further control of the game when leading by 15 points in the second quarter, but once more the Chargers were able to work back into the contest.

Thompson hit another couple of three-pointers for Hobart to have 17 points by half-time and by the break it was Mount Gambier clinging to the 46-39 advantage on the back of a combined 23 points from Tilly Boler and Lara Edmanson.

The familiar trend continued in the third quarter with the Pioneers again out to an eight-point lead, but again Hobart hit back and by three quarter-time it was just a four-point ball game thanks to a huge three on the buzzer from Tishara Morehouse on the buzzer.

The Chargers then hit the first five points of the last quarter to grab the lead and even though it still took some time for them to maintain that advantage, eventually they outscored the Pioneers 21 points to 13 in the final term on the way to the spirited four-point road win.

The Pioneers now don't play again until next weekend's road trip against the Bendigo Braves and the Eltham Wildcats while the Chargers are next in action on Sunday on the road again to Keilor Thunder.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 6

MOUNT GAMBIER PIONEERS 78 (Edmanson 29, Boler 17, Langton 14)

HOBART CHARGERS 82 (Morehouse 26, Thompson 24, Singleton 16)