IT wasn’t pretty but it was enough.
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The Albury-Wodonga Bandits kept their unbeaten start to their SEABL campaign alive with a gritty 81-72 win over Bendigo at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre last night.
A 13-point half-time lead, established on the back of an intense defensive effort, was just enough as the Bandits barely survived a late charge from the visitors.
US swingman Donte Nicholas had a night out with 29 points — including 15 in the second quarter — eight rebounds, eight steals and four assists to do his player of the week credentials no harm.
Fellow import Cory Dixon again compiled a tidy double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Clay McMath nailed a clutch late basket on his way to 13 points.
For Bendigo, Tony Lewis always looked dangerous as he scored 24 points and Grant Johnson connected on three triples in his 19 points.
A frustrated Bandits coach Brad Chalmers was relieved his squad could walk away with a win after being sorely tested in the final minutes.
“Our first half was fine. I thought we were pretty good,” Chalmers said.
“But the second half we got sloppy — the last few minutes was a bit tardy.
“Probably a good thing to get a bit of a scare and Bendigo didn’t give up.
“But we really didn’t manage the end of the game well. We just fell away from our structure.
“We stopped attacking and Bendigo got more active. We’re still finding our way.
“I’m really pleased with what we’re doing but it was frustrating we missed a few easy shots late and that comes back to our focus and intent.”
Both teams started well enough before Nicholas got free for two crowd-pleasing dunks as the Bandits jumped to a 13-5 advantage.
And although the Braves steadied briefly, a 20-13 quarter-time lead showed Albury-Wodonga’s transition game was showing signs of life.
The arm-wrestle continued throughout the second period but a barrage from Nicholas — including a rare four-point play — sparked the hosts as they headed to the locker room with a handy 42-29 lead.
Bendigo fired up to start the second half, nailing consecutive triples to slice the deficit in half but the Bandits simply put the foot down again and pushed the margin back to 59-47 in 10 minutes.
For much of the final stanza, the Bandits didn’t look likely to yield, leading by as many as 18 points before a serious Braves charge cut the deficit to 77-72 with two minutes to play.
But that was as close as they got, with the nervy hosts holding on for a second straight win at home.