Albury Wodonga Bandits men were pipped by Sutherland in a playoff-type NBL1 clash on Sunday.
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The visitors led by four points heading into the final quarter, but the Sharks edged home in a 91-87 thriller.
"It was super physical and tense the entire time, they just out-executed us at the end of the game, when it mattered," Bandits' coach Matt Kowalczyk offered.
"I don't want to put too much pressure or expectation on a single game, but it did feel like there was something on the line in that game, it was an important one for us."
Bandits' Kevion Blaylock was outstanding with 31 points and 12 rebounds.
"He's coming off a big couple of weeks and to be able to carry the scoring like he did, in such a physical game, is a testament to who he is as a player and a person," Kowalczyk praised.
The Bandits claimed the first game of the double-header road trip with a 25-point win (101-76) over Hills Hornets on Saturday night.
The visitors jumped to a 13-point lead at quarter-time and almost doubled that lead.
"We went into it with a big defence focus, we had a clear plan of how we wanted to play and the guys executed perfectly," Kowalczyk said.
Will Hickey had a fine all-round performance with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
"He was great, he had one of those games where you look at it and go, this is a superstar, he's one of the better guards in the country and that was a performance that showed that," Kowalczyk explained.
Interestingly, the game was played in front of 150 people. The previous week the Bandits had a sellout crowd of around 1200 for the Allen McCowan Memorial Game.
"It's funny, not only is it more enjoyable and cool to be a part of (a big crowd), we're an exciting team and we feed off that energy and it directly impacts our performance," Kowalczyk reasoned.
Meanwhile, the Bandits women maintained top spot with two wins.
Mikayla Pivec was sensational with two triple-doubles.
Pivec racked up 21 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in the 94-49 win over Hills Hornets on Saturday night, while Unique Thompson was also terrific with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
And on Sunday, the Bandits hammered Sutherland 119-64.
For the second time this season, Lauren Jackson scored 50 points, along with 15 rebounds, Unique Thompson fired 28 points and collected 15 rebounds, while Pivec rounded out a superb display with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
The Bandits now have three home games to finish the regular season.
The women hold top spot with a 17-nil record, while the men are sixth with 11-six.
The top eight qualify for finals, with teams one, two, five and six hosting playoffs in the first week.
