Bendigo Braves men's winning-streak came to an end on Saturday after falling to Mount Gambier.
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In what was a close contest, the Pioneers took advantage of the last-minute opportunity on the free-throw line to lock in a five-point 86-91 win.
Braves men's coach Stephen Black said learning from the loss to the Pioneers was crucial as NBL1 play-offs are only a few weeks away.
"The Pioneers are a very good team that shot at 47 per cent from the three-point line," he said.
"There were plenty of things that we would've liked to have done better, but on the whole I am impressed that we hung in there.
"We didn't finish it off, but our effort and resilience was great all game. We need to learn from the loss and start another streak as there are only three games left before play-offs."
Still without Malcolm Bernard who has been out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, it was Kuany Kuany who led the Braves' scoring with 31 points, followed by Sidy Mohamed Djitte with a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Pioneers had five players reach double digits, led by Mitchell Harris (23), Nick Marshall (21) and Clevon Brown (13).
With just three games remaining of the regular season, Black believes his squad has what it takes to put on a strong play-offs performance.
"If we focus on all of the positives from the game against the Pioneers and continue to build on that then I am feeling really good about the way we're playing," he said.
Sport news:
First up on the home-stretch is a home game this coming Saturday against Melbourne, followed by a double-header on the road against Kilsyth and regional rivals Ballarat.
Melbourne are well outside of the finals equation as they sit last on the ladder in 19th, whereas Kilsyth are one spot behind the Braves in fifth and Ballarat are currently 11th.
"In this league, everyone is talented and dangerous," Black said.
"If we keep up our defensive pressure I like to think we're able to watch with every team in this league."
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