NEW American imports Ray Booker and Ken Horton shouldered Ballarat Miners’ scoring load in a tough season opener last night.
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The Miners fell nine points short of Mount Gambier at the Pioneers’ Icehouse in the first game of the South East Australian Basketball League season.
It was a disappointing result for the Miners, who twice drew level with the Pioneers in the final quarter after trailing by two points at the final break.
Horton put up 17 points (four three-pointers), the bulk made in a dominant first half.
Booker fired up in the second half, polishing off a 23-point game including a three-pointer that sank after the buzzer.
Recruit Liam Gibcus offered a strong presence near the post pulling in 10 rebounds of which six were grabbed in
defence.
The Miners made a powerful start to build a nine-point lead by quarter-time before the Pioneers bit back hard to nab a two-point lead by half-time.
The Miners will look to regroup for a road trip to Brisbane with Ballarat Rush.
