THE Ballarat Miners women are well-and-truly back in the hunt in the NBL1 South season after a third successive win, this time holding off the Melbourne Tigers to win by nine points.
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But the men's team has been displaced at the top of their ladder after giving up a lead in the final minute of their clash with the Tigers, to lose by two points,
For the women's team, it is now a 5-5 record and for the time-being inside the top eight for the first time all season.
It's the inclusion of Mehryn Kraker that seems to have had the desired affect in changing the team's fortunes. She was sublime, nearly scoring the first triple-double for the season, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Kraker's inclusion has let Chloe Bibby go to work and she continues to put up huge numbers. This time 37 points and 12 rebounds of her own.
Little separated the sides throughout much of the game, but a 28-16 third quarter from the Miners ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
For the Tigers, the Cierra Dillard always looked the largest threat and she was strong with 28 points, but Samantha Simons also played a great game, top-scoring for her side with 36.
But apart from those two, the Tigers struggled to find another winner on court, while the Miners still had Abbey Wehrung (18 points) and Alex Bunton (13 points and 13 rebounds) to call on.
For the men, it is the third time they have lost this season, those game have been to Geelong by two points, North West Tasmania by three points and now the Tigers by two points in the 80-78 defeat on Saturday night.
It appears that closing out the tight games is the one chink in the team's armour this season and something the men's team will have to address in the coming weeks.
The Miners led by four points entering the final minute but the Tigers wouldn't be denied. It was a three-point bomb from Tom Wilson with 45 seconds left that changed the course of game. Suddenly the home side was up-and-about and sensing a win.
The Miners turned the ball over with 27 seconds left with Michael Wearne making a two-point lay-up to give his team the lead.
The Miners then missed two shots in the final 10 seconds as the Tigers held on, Majok Majok's three-point attempt on the buzzer missing.
For the Miners Nicholas Stoddart was strong early, but would score just seven points in the second half, to finish with 19 for the game while Luke Rosendale top-scored with 20.
SCOREBOARDS
Ballarat Miners Women 101 (C Bibby 37, M Kraker 26) def Melbourne Tigers 92 (S Simons 36, C Dillard 28)
Ballarat Miners Men 78 (L Rosendale 20, N Stoddart 18) def by Melbourne Tigers 80 (T Wilson 24, M Gaze 16, J Purchase 16)
