In front of the Sky TV cameras, Towers fancied their chances against the Bullets - who they finished ahead of in the Southern Conference championship.

Ron Abegglen's men started well and led for the entire first half, but an unanswered eight point run moved the Bullets ahead, a lead they were not to relinquish.

Bullets skipper Nigel Lloyd - the top free thrower in the country - came good for the Bullets, landing two free throws with 27 seconds left to edge the Midlands outfit ahead 58-53. Justin Phoenix sealed the game when he added two more points from the line.

Steve Bucknall finished with 20 points for the Towers, but according to coach Abegglen this was a game Towers should have sealed long before the end.

He said: "We lost but we are not going to cry about it. There was a chance to win, we had the lead but gave it back and that is where it cost us.

"Half the battle was to stay healthy at the end of this season, we had injuries and with Birmingham being a physical side they wore us down," said the Towers coach.

With the Towers now out Abegglen forecasts that the grand final between Birmingham and the Manchester Giants could go either way.

"Manchester are a side full of know how and are very physical. Birmingham have a hungry attitude and when you have that you can be a very dangerous team.

"But we have big plans which look very good for next season, when we hope to go better than this year," said the Towers coach, who is going back to America in the off-season.