The GMHBA Miners had their chances but could not break Albury-Wodonga’s control and fell 10 points short in South East Australian Basketball League action on Saturday night.

Bandits’ big four stars were impressive, tellingly by their scoreboard impact: Deba George (26 points), Cory Dixon (23), Daniel Sepokas (22) and American swingman Donte Nicholas (11).

Miners coach Eric Hayes said his team had talked before the match about how to stop those players, but it was not until the second half that the Miners started to curb their influence.

Once they started to click, the Miners fought hard to wrestle for momentum.

They cut a 17-point half-time deficit to eight points in the third quarter before the margin ballooned out to 17 points again midway through the fourth. With less than a minute to play, the Miners had sliced the margin to seven.

“We got back to eight a couple of times. When you get back to eight points, you’re on the cusp of getting back into the game – we just couldn’t get that stop or hit that shot we needed,” Hayes said.

The Miners beat the Bandits on the board, 44-34, thanks largely to the solid inside presence of Chris Smith.

Pulling in 15 rebounds, Smith was pipped only by Bandit Cory Dixon, who reeled in 16 but Smith had more even support from his teammates.

Miners captain Kris Blicavs was consistent in his sound work-rate and effort.

Hayes said other players were good in patches but it was their initial struggle to serve up what they did best that hurt the Miners.

Poor shooting under tight defensive pressure also hindered the Miners – especially to their trademark perimeter shooting prowess.

The Miners will be quick to regroup to host conference rival Dandenong next week.

Dandenong is on a three-game losing streak but in a tight east conference ladder, rankings can change dramatically with each result.

melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au