The Heat started poorly against their arch-rivals but surged midway through the first quarter to put the Tigers on the back foot. 

Heat skipper Zac Maloney led from the front, sinking four consecutive three-pointers in a 90-second blitz while Joel Stankiewicz provided strong support to keep the home side ahead.

Connell Crossland broke the game open after quarter time with Scott Hare and Jaydan Oliver helping stretch  Wagga’s lead to 14 points at the main break.

Shoalhaven came out firing in the second half, pegging five points back to keep Heat fans on edge, before Crossland and Oliver responded with a string of buckets.

Maloney added a brace of three-pointers including one nine seconds before the buzzer as Wagga made it a 15-point buffer with a quarter to play.

Undeterred, the Tigers roared back into contention with a seven-point surge as the margin dropped to eight points.

It took a Shoalhaven foul to stop the flood of points, Olivier duly nailing his free throws to give the Heat some breathing room. 

Hare lifted in the final quarter with a string of buckets while Oliver iced the win with a late three-pointer from downtown, bringing the Wagga faithful to their feet. 

A pleased Mal said the game was won convincingly.

“We never really looked like giving our lead up,” he said.

“We started slow just like we did last time we played Shoalhaven but we built the game up well and came away with the result.

“It’s always good to get a win over the Tigers, especially with that home court advantage.”

Maloney finished up with 28 points while Crossland and Oliver were among Wagga’s best, however, it was Shaun Carter who impressed spectators with an entertaining cameo from the bench.

“Connell plays consistently and Jaydan had another good game but I think Shaun stepped it up the most out there,” Maloney said.

“He did some great things defensively from the bench and he plays with a lot of hustle.”

The Heat will have two weeks to recover before heading to Blaxland High School Sports Stadium for a clash with bottom-placed Springwood.

“The Scorchers might be last at the moment but they play well at home and they’ve really given it to the top teams, so we’ll need to be prepared,” Maloney said.

“They won’t be an easy team to beat.”