THE Albury-Wodonga Bandits will be counting the cost of giving up a 26-6 third quarter against the Ballarat Miners on Saturday night, dropping out of the top four after splitting their road trip at the weekend.
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The Bandits held a six-point lead at half time against the Miners, but couldn’t buy a bucket during a tumultuous third period that all-but decided the game.
To their credit, they were able to cut a 17-point deficit at the start of the fourth to single-digits, but it was a case of too little, too late.
The Miners eventually claimed a 102-92 win, leaving the Bandits to pick up the pieces on Sunday against the Frankston Blues.
They got off to a poor start in the second game of the back-to-back, giving up a 29-16 first quarter to the Blues, who only notched their first win of the season last week.
But the Bandits slowly righted the ship, outscoring the Blues in the second and third quarters before taking the lead on the first possession of the final quarter.
Deba George ignited the Bandits to the tune of 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the 104-90 win against the Blues.
He looked almost unstoppable at times in the second half, shooting 62 per cent from the field including 5/8 from beyond the arc.
TJ Robinson continued to be a dependable low-post option and elite rebounder, filling the box score with 22 points and 19 boards, with six of those coming on the offensive end.
Head coach Brad Chalmers said the weekend’s results showed the team’s defence had to improve dramatically to prove that they belong in the championship discussion.
“We lost our way on defence on the third against Ballarat, and for the first time we were out of sorts on offence as well,” he said.
“It was one of those things, had we gotten another three or four buckets by the fourth quarter we might have still been in it.
“We just weren’t able to get the stops we needed in the fourth which was pretty disappointing, we felt we had control of the game.
“The focus (against Frankston) was on defence, to get those small wins, but we didn’t get much of that early.
“But I’m proud of them for getting down and dirty and getting back in it.”
Newly signed import JT Terrell showed flashes of the explosiveness the Bandits have been craving, hitting four three-pointers in a 17-point final quarter against the Miners.
Mitch Newton also had a big game on Saturday with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Small forward Sawyer Dearborn is in doubt for round seven after rolling his ankle against the Blues.