Above: Ranger Larissa Anderson puts up a jump hook over Adelaide’s Laren King during Dandenong’s 68-55 win on Friday night.By Paul Pickering
AFTER a diabolical first round double-header, Dandenong Rangers coach Dale Waters conceded it might take his new-look side a while to find their feet in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) this season.
As it turns out, it took exactly a week.
The Rangers upset the widely held championship fancy Adelaide Lightning 68-55 on Friday night before proceeding across the Nullarbor to rout the Perth Lynx 78-58 on Sunday.
Clearly, few fans who witnessed the Rangers’ opening weekend shooting woes could have dared to dream of such an abrupt about-face.
And while Waters – reflecting on the weekend as he sat at Perth airport on Monday afternoon – was clearly buoyed by his first wins as a senior coach, he was keen to divert the credit for the dramatic form reversal to his senior players.
“A few of them knew their performances were under par last week, and to their credit they decided to take the responsibility on themselves,” Waters said.
Chief among the resurgent Rangers was skipper Caitlin Ryan, who dropped in 25 points to go with 11 rebounds and five assists in a virtuoso performance on Sunday.
The diminutive point woman buried five threes for the night, shaking off shooting problems caused by a severely bruised toe on opening night at Dandenong Stadium.
Ryan also scored 14 points on Friday night, but was overshadowed by the contributions of Shelley Hammonds (21 points, nine rebounds) and Larissa Anderson (17, 9) in a bruising affair in Adelaide.
For Waters, the win over the Lightning was worth more than just the first entry in Dandenong’s ‘W’ column.
“Adelaide is really the early-season favourite,” he said.
“With their depth and the quality of players they’ve recruited, any of the 10 players on their roster could start in any other team.
“For our girls to go and compete with them on their court, and take them out of their stuff, it gives us a real shot in the arm to move forward.”
With four-time Olympian Michele Brogan set to make her debut for the Rangers this weekend and dynamic young gun Chantella Perera to return in December, Waters suddenly has every reason to be optimistic.
“We’re really starting to bond well together and we’re just going to get better and better,” he said.
Brogan’s inclusion will add more force to an already formidable frontline when the Rangers host league newcomer Christchurch Sirens on Friday night.
The Sirens have failed to record a win in their first three games, while Dandenong – having split its four games – now sits fourth on the ladder.
