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POINT guard Adam Doyle expects the Bendigo Braves to come out breathing fire against SEABL south conference rival Dandenong Rangers on Saturday night.
The Braves undid some of the gains from a run of four consecutive wins, with a disappointing and lacklustre loss to Frankston Blues last Saturday night.
An unexpected 85-97 loss has left the Braves (9-8) in a tense battle with North West Tasmania Thunder (8-8) for fourth spot in the conference.
But the Braves would overtake the Rangers (10-6) in third spot with a win in Dandenong and give them the all-important head-to-head advantage.
Doyle, who is fourth in the league for assists and third for steals, said another "must-win" game presented the perfect opportunity for the Braves to show some character.
"Obviously we beat them at the start of the year, but they didn't have their full team .... we didn't either," he said.
"That makes for a good game and this is one we really need.
"Obviously with six or seven games to go, we need to win them all to lock our chance in the finals.
"It's a massive game, there's no disguising that."
The Braves have had their backs to the walls several times this season and have generally responded.
A 21 point win over east conference ladder leaders Mount Gambier Pioneers on May 13 followed three consecutive losses, including a pair on the road in Tasmania.
It remains one of only two losses suffered by the Pioneers this season.
The Braves followed a similar pattern the next week, with a loss to Geelong Supercats followed by a tough win over a tough and talented Nunawading Spectres team, which trails only the Pioneers in the east conference.
Doyle remains convinced the Braves are a better team than their current fourth position indicated.
"I think we are .... we've beaten Mount Gambier, we've beaten Nunawading, we've beaten Hobart, obviously the only team we haven't beaten which is up near the top is Ballarat," he said.
"When we play our best basketball, we are right up there with the best.
"I think we're better than fourth place, but obviously right now we're not showing it."
Doyle, who is averaging 14.2ppg and 5.2 assists, will match up against Rangers guard Lucas Barker (15ppg and 5.1 assists).
The Braves will again be without the injured Taylor Bell and David Hogan (ill).