Key win to end the season for Bendigo

The Bendigo Bank Braves Men ended their 2023 NBL 1 season on the weekend with an inspiring win against an old rival and a gutsy loss to the championship favourites.

Saturday night was the main event for the Braves and for the city, as Bendigo hosted Ballarat in the Steve Kelly Memorial Game.

The match had extra significance, with a Bendigo win likely snuffing out the finals hopes of their Goldfields rivals.

With those two things at the font of their minds, Bendigo got off to a flyer in the first half.

Bendigo led by four at quarter time and 12 at half time, on the back of 14 points from a clearly injured Luke Rosendale.

Half way through the third term, Bendigo had blown the lead out to 18, before the Miners reduced the deficit to single figures at the final break.

With two of the league’s top-four scorers, a Ballarat fight back was only a matter of time. Bendigo’s lead was only three with less than five minutes left, but nine point in four minutes from Adam Pechacek helped the Braves steady to win 99-93.

Pechacek was the game’s high scorer with 30 points. Rosendale finished with an inspiring 27 points, Lat Mayen 15, and Dylan McCauley 11.

Bendigo travelled to Knox on Sunday to battle the league leaders, but without Rosendale and tall Billy Smythe.

A gallant effort by the undermanned Braves saw them match it at times with the Raiders, before going down 96-59.

Pechacek top scored again with 20 points, with Mayen (13) the only other Brave to hit double figures.

Coach Stephen Black said he was proud of how his team performed over the weekend.

“The Ballarat win really meant something to us,” he said.

“It was the Steve Kelly game and we also went into it knowing we could influence Ballarat’s season, which was a focus.

“When you look back on it, it was one of the nice wins. I was proud of the way we played and proud of the result.”

Black said he was also impressed with the way the team handled the Knox game.

“On Sunday we were undermanned and were just bullied by the top team, which is what a top team does,” he said.

“I was really proud of the way the guys competed and tried to do the things we were focused on doing.

“When we played big, with Lat, Adam, and Murph, we competed well. Without Luke and Billy we just couldn’t put points on the board.”

Photo - Craig Dilks Photography