However the Heat have been left to rue a late slip up which cost them a win.

Despite leading the premiers by 15 points in the third quarter, they couldn’t hold off Bankstown to fall 68-66.

Coach Colin Reed was disappointed his team couldn’t hold off the late charge from the Bruins on Saturday.

“We were in a commanding position until the halfway mark of the third quarter, and were up by 15 points, but let the game slip,” Reed said. 

“We struggled to score there after and whether we ran out of legs I’m not sure but I’m going to allow it to contribute to that.

“We just broke down in our offence and unfortunately weren’t able to match it with what we were able to achieve.”

Reed was pleased by the first half of the game, but the Heat couldn’t maintain the same pace.

However there were plenty of positives from the game.

US import Connell Crossland showed his skill across the court while Scott Hare, Zac Maloney and Jayden Oliver all impressed.

The Bruins were also very positive about the Heat’s game.

“They were very impressed with the unit that showed up to play them for Wagga,” Reed said.

“Their comments were pretty good so the boys should go away and hold their heads high regardless of the scoreline.”

The Heat are out to rebound when they host Canberra on Saturday after the Gunners scored a narrow win over Dubbo.