Unfortunately, the remaining 10 per cent was poor and it cost the Braves a home grand final. The Braves led 63-59 in the final quarter, but were outscored 24-3 for the remainder of the game and lost to the Mt Gambier Pioneers 83-66.

The result means the Braves will host North West Tasmania in this Saturday night’s preliminary final.

“It’s a 40 minute game and we only played 35 minutes,’’ coach Ben Harvey said.

“We fell asleep in the last quarter. The final margin was not a true indication of the game. I thought we were in control for most of the game, but in that final quarter we had some turnovers and Mt Gambier went on a 14-0 run.

“It really hurts… we were in a position to win the game and get a home final. The game was lost in four minutes. Now we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and make sure we beat North West Tasmania.”

Offensively, the Braves shot themselves in the foot.

They shot the ball at just 29 per cent, including a wayward 12-41 from behind the three-point arc. Star import Tony Lewis had a night to forget, scoring 12 points on 2-12 shooting. Grant Johnson led the Braves with 19 points, while Michael Vigor scored 13.

North West Tasmania qualified for the preliminary final by thrashing Kilsyth 86-69.

In the east conference, Albury will host the grand final after defeating Geelong 88-83. The Supercats will play Dandenong in the preliminary final after the Rangers ended the Ballarat Miners season 91-85.