The Miners weren't able to capitalise on a six point three-quarter-time lead and ran out 95-89 losers in front of a bumper home crowd at the Minerdome.

The match went right down to the wire, with Frankston leveling the scores with six minutes remaining and maintaining a two-shot buffer for much of the final term.

Blues power forward Brandon Polk proved to be the difference between the two sides, notching up six rebounds and 34 points - several of which were scored in the final minutes.

Ken Horton, Roy Booker and Anthony Fisher worked in tandem to put the Blues on the back foot midway through the match but couldn't maintain the intensity in the dying stages.

Horton tallied 34 points and 14 rebounds (eight defensive) to be Ballarat's dominant player.

Fisher (14 points, nine rebounds) was effective at both ends of the court while Booker (20 points) was strong early but faded after hitting the floorboards heavily in the second term.