THE Ballarat Miners turned on a second-half blitz to beat the Bendigo Braves in Friday night's basketball clash at Bendigo Stadium.
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On a night where Braves co-captain Chris Hogan played a record-breaking 319th game for the club, Bendigo had little to celebrate by match end.
The Braves led 78-73 at just under five minutes to go in what had been another fierce contest between the great rivals.
Ballarat again fought back to take the lead by a point at 3.41 on the clock.
It was the Miners, coached by Braves and SEABL great David Flint, who finished the match brilliantly.
Flint is at number two on games played for the Braves behind Hogan.
Ballarat scored 14 of the last 18 points to win 93-82.
The Ben Harvey-coached Braves had no answer to the brilliance of Ken Horton.
The Miners star racked up 29 points and won 14 rebounds in a best-on-court performance.
Horton had plenty of support as Ballarat turned a seven point deficit at half-time into a three-point lead at a quarter to play.
The Miners fightback was inspired by captain Liam Gibcus, seven points in the term, as three-pointers by Dyricus Edwards and Anthony Fisher also stung Bendigo.
Ballarat won the third term, 21-11, as it took charge at both ends of the court.
The Braves led 49-42 at half-time after they dominated a lot of the second quarter.
By the final buzzer it was Ballarat celebrating a crucial victory.
Gibcus 17; Edwards 15; Nathan Sobey 11; and Chris Smith 10 played key roles.
Leading scorer for Bendigo was Kevin Probert on 19, with Dustin Salsbery 15, Michael Vigor 13, and Josh Wilcher 12, next best.
Hogan finished on 11 points. His tally included two three-pointers.