A heart-breaking one-point loss to Basketball Australia's talent team marred Rush's attempt to pull off a double win in the South East Australian Basketball League.

Harvey Norman Ballarat Rush had beaten Sandringham by 20 points on the road Saturday night.

The loss that followed at home was a tough for Rush to digest, knowing they had matched, and almost beaten, the nation's promising full-time players from BA's Centre of Excellence.

Rush coach Peter Cunningham said late calls against his team hurt, but in the end the game need not have been so close.

"We need to learn how to win those close games. We created enough opportunity to win the game and didn't finish off," Cunningham said.

"On the positives, that's the level and standard of basketball we need to play."

Rush beat a taller, more fancied BA CoE on the boards, 37-31 but the difference was chances at free throws, nine attempts to BA CoE’s 21, and conversion.

Cunningham was pleased with all his players’ efforts across the two games. Rush’ core seven player were gelling well, but he said it was now a matter of taking advantage of the chances they create.

Rush co-captain Abbey Wehrung was the standout: 23 points (4 three-pointers), eight rebounds against Sabres; 20 points (4), five rebounds at home.