The Miners went in clear favourites against a Cobras side who sat in second-last on the south conference ladder.  However it was the hosts who took control early in the contest to establish a two-point lead at the end of the first term.  

The task would only get tougher for the Miners in the remaining three quarters, with star point guard Roy Booker was subbed out of the game with a leg injury after the first 10 minutes. 

The Cobras continued to build on their lead in the second term, capitalising on some wayward shooting from the Ballarat outfit to extend their advantage to nine at the main break.

Joel Naburgs would prove to be unstoppable for most of the match, shooting 31 points on top of six assists as the Miners defence struggled to maintain the Cobras.  Captain Tim Lang also got in on the action with 17 points to coincide with his 12 rebounds and eight assists.

The Miners were again on the back foot at the start of the third term as the Cobras began to shoot away.  While Ollie Bailey put up a fight with 23 points and eight rebounds, the hosts had all the answers.  Craig Moller also worked hard for the Miners, however the damage was done as the Cobras cruised home to win by 16 points.   

Miners coach Eric Hayes was again scathing of his side’s defensive efforts as they slumped to their fourth loss in five matches.  

“Simply our defence was nowhere near good enough,” Hayes said.  “We’re just giving up too many points and we're not holding people to a score where we can comfortably beat them.”

The Miners will take some solace from the fact two of their nearest rivals in Dandenong and Canberra were also unsuccessful over the weekend, meaning the door remains ajar for a finals tilt.

Booker is expected to see a specialist early in the week, but it remains to be seen whether he will miss game time.  “He said it’s something that’s been feeling tight for a while and it just gave way,” Hayes said.