ANOTHER gripping contest of men’s basketball graced the Hothouse courts on Saturday night as Mildura Heat fell excruciatingly short of securing third place in the ladder during the final round of the regular season after a 92-86 defeat at the hands of Collingwood All Stars.

With the scores tied at 64 a piece going into the final quarter, the last five minutes saw Collingwood edge away as the Heat couldn’t muster control of the tie again.