Deba George leads charge in Bandits big bounce back

George landed a massive 37 points on the board for the home side along with six assists and four rebounds in the 89-86 victory.

Manny Malou and Torren Jones were also solid contributors at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, with Jones racking up 17 points and 18 rebounds.

"Deba was sensational in the way he went about the game," Bandits coach Brad Chalmers said.

"He put the team on his back a little bit, in a good way.

"We had a lot of guys playing well, but the difference in the game was Deba's performance and how he led the team."

The upset win against NBL1 competition contenders Kilsyth couldn't have come at a better time for the Bandits who had been struggling to connect in previous weeks.

The game also marked the first without injured leading scorer Ken-Jah Bosley, with his absence allowing for other players to make their mark on the court.

Chalmers said the key difference in success for the Bandits this week was how his side approached the game.

"We just threw everything out the window this week and did something different," Chalmers said.

"To the boys credit, they pulled off a game plan that we haven't really been able to execute well.

"It was just about the guys coming ready to play, they were really energized, connected and switched on.

"For us to be able to do that with Ken-Jah down and to get a bit of belief was really good.

"Some other guys got to handle the ball a bit more.

"That will be good for us in the long run to have them under that bit of heat."

The Bandits defensive pressure was also an area of improvement in their game, which had proven costly for the side during recent losses away from home.

"We held them to under-90 points and when we've done that this year we're four and none," Chalmers said.

"The proof is in the pudding.

"It's just one game, so we need to build on that now."

The Bandits now sit even on five wins and five losses.

The win against the third placed Kilsyth Cobras continues a rough patch for the side, who have now lost their last four in a row.

The Bandits now prepare for another tough double header weekend against two top four teams in Nunawading and the Melbourne Tigers.