The Heat entered the contest with five consecutive wins under their belt and scrapped well against the ladder-leading Sharks in the opening exchanges to trail by just eight points at half time. 

Straight shooting saw the lead change hands early in the third term and give the home supporters hope, but the buffer was short-lived after Connell Crossland and Josh McPherson were fouled out.

Sharks enforcers Reece Craigie and Jason Freshwater took full advantage of the key absences and turned the tide in Sutherland’s favour, seeing the visitors home in a dominant second half.

Heat coach Colin Reed was diplomatic about the game-changing calls on Crossland and McPherson but admitted he was vexed by the ruling.

“It was a particularly frustrating game from our point of view,” Reed said.

“Unfortunately we got caught up in some calls and we didn’t feel as though they were quite right.

“Losing Connell was particularly tough as he’s a real focal point for us.

“He brings a lot when he’s out on the floor, both offensively and defensively, and he’s such a smart basketballer.”

Reed was nevertheless pleased with the overall team performance and enjoyed the challenge presented by Sutherland.

“They tested us and while I thought we played well, we didn’t have it to match it with them for that length of time.

“That being said, it showed we can match it with the best team in the competition.

“We might have lost yesterday, but with every loss we find areas to develop and improve upon.

“We’ve shown that consistently throughout the year and exciting for me as a coach to put the game behind us and move on to next week.”