THE Bendigo Bank Braves struck back to beat the Kilsyth Cobras in Saturday night's South East Australia Basketball League clash at Bendigo Stadium.
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On a night where Braves co-captain Chris Hogan joined Andrea Walsh as the club's games record-holder on 333, Bendigo would reign supreme.
As Hogan played a key role on court, Walsh did so from the sidelines as Braves assistant coach.
On the rebound from a home-court defeat the previous round, Bendigo was staring at a 1-4 start to the season when Kilsyth led by seven at just over seven minutes to play.
Three-pointers by Tony Lewis and Taylor Bell cut the deficit to just one.
Strong defence was capitalised on as Grant Johnson sunk consecutive two-pointers as the Braves regained the lead.
When Lewis was on target again the Braves led by five.
A two-pointer by Tim Lang would be Kilsyth's final points of the contest as Bendigo added some fine plays to the highlight reel.
Kevin Probert's overhead flick was brilliant.
Not to be outdone, Johnson's defensive block had those on the bench on their feet.
Johnson then stole the inboard pass at mid-court and charged to the key where a dunk put Bendigo up by seven.
At the final buzzer, Bendigo led 78-69.
Braves' coach Ben Harvey said there were some "big points and big plays" in a crucial match for the club.
"Tonight was built on team performance. Josh Wilcher is back from England and makes a big difference.
"Chris Adkins and Jordan Mangan had limited minutes, but they had an impact when on court.
"The defensive intensity was at a great level for most of the match."
Stats leaders;
Points - Bendigo: Johnson 23, Lewis 19, Wilcher 11, Chris Hogan 7, Kevin Probert 7, Michael Vigor 6. Kilsyth: MacMillan 19, Lang 15, Naburgs 13.
Rebounds - Bendigo (36): Lewis 10, Johnson 9, Vigor 7. Kilsyth (32): MacMillan 10, Naburgs 7, Lang 6.
The Braves face a tough double in Canberra next weekend.
