Down to the wire at Red Energy Arena

Bendigo Bank Braves Men coach Stephen Black is happy where his team is at leading into the NBL1 finals, despite ending their 11-game winning streak at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night.

In front of a big crowd, Bendigo led by two at the last break, before succumbing 86-91 to a second-placed Mount Gambier team that shot the lights out from beyond the arc.

Despite star import Malcolm Bernard missing again with a leg injury, the Braves were in it until the dying seconds of the game, something Black said was encouraging.

“With 10 seconds to go we’re down by one and we have the ball, with a chance to win,” he said.

“There’s a lot of positives to take from the game. On second watching, I‘m happy where things are at.''

“We played extremely hard and our resilience was fantastic. Defensively we identified some things we normally do better, and if we get a chance to play them again, we will.”

Kuany Kuany was deadly in the first half, hitting 23 points, including a 16-point second term. He ended the night with 31.

Luke Rosendale finished with 20 points, and Sidy Djitee put in another stunning game, with 15 points an 14 rebounds – seven of them offensive.

It was Bendigo’s fifth game in 15 days, and third in the same period against the top three teams. 

“This team has done remarkably well without Malcolm, and we probably should have won on Saturday,” he said.

“Saying that, Malcolm adds a lot to what we do, and we’ll see him back on the court when the medical staff give him the green light.”

Bendigo hosts the Melbourne Tigers at Red Energy Arena on Saturday night. The Women tip off at 5.30pm the Men 7.30pm.

Photo - Akuna Photography