A problem with the shot clock when the game was in the final minute may have cost the Bandits an extra possession down the stretch.

Mt Gambier brought the ball inbounds after a TJ Robinson basket, but the shot clock did not start until the ball had been brought past half court.

After lengthy consultation between the referees and scorers, the shot clock was reset to 12, but the game clock did not change.

The Pioneers went on to seal the victory thanks to two Erik Burdon free-throws with 13 seconds to play.

While they would have preferred a victory, the Bandits’ impressive second half should be cause for optimism.

A slow start left them 13 points down at half-time, but they turned it around after the break, outscoring the Pioneers by nine in the second half.

Deba George was in the mood to put on a show.

His first shot was a three, and his constant forays to the rim proved to be almost too much for the Mt Gambier defence to handle.

The evergreen guard lit up the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre for 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, one shy of a triple-double.

Mitch Newton also impressed in his Bandits debut, hitting four of four triples and hauling in six rebounds. 

Despite only shooting two from 11 inside the arc, Newton demonstrated his importance offensively and defensively after taking time to settle into the game.

TJ Robinson also impressed first up, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds, with six of those coming on the offensive glass.

Fellow import Justin Browning showed some glimpses of highlight-reel athleticism, but found himself in foul trouble and was forced to sit out with five minutes to play.

Sawyer Dearborn showed his impressive pre-season wasn't for nothing with an impressive defensive performance down the stretch, while Jack Duck and Darcy Harding provided some punch off the bench.

Both hit a pair of threes, while Harding added five boards for an impressive start to the season.

Dearborn finished with four points and two rebounds.

Joel Spear had a mixed debut, shooting two of seven from the field, but will be better off for the run after an interrupted pre-season.

Coach Brad Chalmers said it had been a positive season opener.

“It was good, I thought we played really well tonight,” he said.

“Obviously it took us a while to get going, but once we found a bit more of a rhythm defensively we were able to do some good things.

“The way we were playing and executing defensively was really good.

“Overall I was pretty happy with everyone's contribution.

“To fight back and and really push it was good, we want to be able to play well at home.

“We were probably not sharp enough in that first half.”

Pioneers forward Luke Jamieson led all scorers on the night with 24 points, while Brad Hill added 20.

The Bandits host the Nunawading Spectres next weekend at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.