The path to finals has become that little bit more challenging for the Bendigo Spirit after Saturday night's loss to the Southside Flyers.
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The top-four clash went right down to the wire but in the dying minutes of the match at the Geelong Arena it was the Flyers who would walk away with a hard-fought 75-69 win over the Spirit.
At the main break the scoreboard was locked at 37-37. The Flyers then pulled away in the third quarter to give themselves a five-point 57-52 lead going into the final term.
Spirit pulled out all the stops during the first half of the fourth quarter to get the ledger back to 63-63 after a scoring run, but were hindered by a series of missed free throws when they were needed the most.
Kelly Wilson made a three-pointer with around three minutes left on the clock to put her team ahead by one at 66-65, however, it was short-lived as former Bendigo player now Flyer Carly Ernst swiftly responded with a three to take back control.
An unwelcome turnover from the Spirit would see possession go straight back to the Flyers, an opportunity that was cherished by Bec Cole who took advantage with another three-pointer to put her side ahead by five points with three minutes to play.
Spirit coach Kennedy Kereama was quick to call a timeout to slow the Flyers' momentum.
During the next minute of play the Spirit missed out on several scoring opportunities, while the Flyers remained steady to see out the Indigenous Round match by six points.
By game's end the Spirit shot free throws at 55.6 per cent (10/18), while the Flyers made good use of their opportunities on the line at 79.6 per cent (11/14).
The other big blip on the Spirit's sheet were turnovers, which gave the Flyers a handy 21 points to their 11.
Flyers import Kayla Thornton led the scoring on 19 points, while Abbey Wehrung on 18 was the Spirit's best.
Next up for Bendigo was Alicia Froling with 11 points and eight rebounds, Wilson with 11 points and five boards, followed by Tessa Lavey on 10 points and four rebounds.
Spirit have lost the previous three matches of their final six games, which has put plenty of pressure on the team to sharpen up before playoffs.
They sit fourth on the ladder with an 11-7 record and have three more games to cement themselves into the finals equation.
The final charge will not be easy.
First is an away game against the second-placed Townsville Fire on February 18, followed by another on the road clash in Western Australia against the Perth Lynx one week later.
Their final match of the regular season is back at home against the Fire on March 1.
The team has been without captain Kelsey Griffin since early January due to a hamstring injury.
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