Ralph Blalock has set his sights on play-off glory after keeping a cool head to ensure Brighton Bears ended their league season in style.

Blalock hit seven of his side's 11 points in overtime as Scottish Rocks were finally overcome 94-91 at the Brighton Centre yesterday.

Bears were already guaranteed second place in the table and a quarter-final showdown at home to London Towers next Sunday but you would never have thought it from the intensity of their final few league minutes.

The last thing they needed was to go into the knockout stages on the back of three successive defeats but that looked a distinct possibility as they went from 11 points up to seven down in the second half before saving themselves.

Blalock said: "It was important to get a win to go into the play-offs and in front of another big crowd here.

"That takes us to 30 wins out of 40 games and I'm not sure if Brighton have done that for a long time, although, I would have liked to have won a couple more and one league title."

A 60 per cent success rate from two-point range and 79 per cent at the line helped Bears through, even though Rocks shaded the rebound count 47-45, despite 11 from Rico Alderson.

Sterling Davis and Wilbur Johnson added eight boards apiece, with Johnson also hitting the crucial first points of overtime.

Rocks coach Kevin Wall argued his side could have won by double figures but Bears chief Nick Nurse insisted: "We deserved a couple to bounce our way given how things have gone against us lately.

"The way we played does not really propel us towards the play-offs but these things can turn around quickly and we will be ready to go next Sunday."

It took something dramatic to rouse a subdued crowd and they were on their feet cheering the final stages of regulation and all of overtime.

Bears led 50-39 early in the third quarter but were hit by an 11-4 run and managed just two Errol Seaman free throws in the last three minutes of the period, which ended tied at 60-60.

Mike Brown's three-pointer opened a 71-67 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter but Rocks responded to be 80-73 up with three minutes to play.

Randy Duck's dunk from a Blalock steal lifted the crowd, as did four successive Rocks misses from the free throw line.

Blalock got a three-pointer to drop in obligingly off the rim and level it at 82-82 with 68 seconds to go.

Duck and Ted Berry then hit a free throw apiece before Alderson missed from close range on the buzzer after Blalock had expertly created space.

Bears never trailed in overtime but nerves were on edge until Blalock converted three late free throws and penned Berry in a corner to help force a shot clock violation.

Rocks still had a chance to save it when a Davis three-pointer rimmed out with 11 seconds to go but Shawn Myers' hit-and-hope was off target.

Brighton Bears: Blalock 24, Davis 21, Duck 14, Johnson 12, Brown 11, Alderson 8, Seaman 4.

Scottish Rocks: Myers 22, Perre 21, Singleton 19, Berry 17, Kennedy 6, Huntley 3, Bunyan 3.

Bears were the victims of a Birmingham Bullets fightback as they suffered an 89-88 defeat on Saturday night.

Bears, with Ralph Blalock going four-of-six from outside the arc, led 49-40 at the half but Bullets scored the final seven points of the game to seal the win.

Martin Henlan and an Antwan Jones three-pointer trimmed the lead to just one with 25 seconds remaining and Ronnie Griffin slotted the winning basket with 1.8 seconds to play.

Bears coach Nick Nurse said: "We did not play that much worse than we did against Rocks but the ball just did not go in for us."

Birmingham Bullets: R. Griffin 25, Jones 20, Henlan 17, K. Griffin 11, Paternostro 9, Onions 3, Prince 2, Windle 2.

Bears: Blalock 18, Brown 15, Alderson 15, Davis 15, Duck 13, Johnson 10, Seaman 2.