Anzac Day clash a triumph

By Paul Pickering
IT will be no consolation to the beaten Rangers, but Dandenong and Sandringham laid the foundations for an enduring Anzac Day tradition last Friday night.
In a battle befitting the occasion, the undermanned Rangers had their Stud Road fortress stormed by the Sabres in the Big V’s inaugural Anzac Day clash.
In time, the game’s result – a 103-98 win to Sandringham – may be forgotten, but the contest itself will surely be remembered as a triumph for the sport in Victoria.
It was relentless, gritty and combative basketball – the kind Big V fans have come to expect from the competition’s undeniable heavyweight pairing.
As expected, the Rangers entered the game without big men Ash Cannan and Matt Witherden (averaging 35 points and 18 rebounds between them this season), who sustained matching injuries to their right ankles the previous weekend.
The sight of Cannan and Witherden leaning solemnly on their crutches during pre-match commemorations must have been a psychological boost for the Sabres’ frontline, but it was the Rangers who began the game more aggressively.
With Vince Inglima (26 points) slashing hard to the basket and Brent Hobba (25, 10 rebounds) draining two early three-pointers, the home crowd wasted no time in finding full voice as Dandenong surged to a 29-25 quarter-time lead.
At the other end, though, Rangers guards Mick Wheeler and Dwayne Campbell were drastically outsized in their match-ups with Sabres imports Jermaine Maybank (26, 12) and Sedale Threatt (31, 12 assists). And despite Wheeler’s persistent hounding, Maybank almost single-handedly brought the Sabres back to level footing midway through the second quarter.
Dandenong seized the momentum – and a one-point halftime lead – with a buzzer-beating three from Dwayne Campbell (19), and when Hobba tripled twice early in the third quarter the Rangers were out by 10.
This time it was Threatt who provided the timely offense for the Sabres, as the explosive point-guard hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key to bring his side within four points at the final break.
The match took another unexpected turn early in the fourth, when Maybank and Jeremy Kirtley were ejected – but not reported – for their part in a fight that erupted as they scrambled for a loose ball.
Maybank lit the powder keg by landing a left jab to Kirtley’s jaw while the pair wrestled on the floor. Kirtley, having successfully completed his assignment to restrict Maybank’s influence, left the court to an ovation from his teammates and the fans.
But with Maybank out, Threatt and reigning league MVP Simon Conn (16) stepped up, catapulting the Sabres to a 96-86 lead with two minutes to play. And despite some late heroics from Dwayne Campbell at both ends of the floor, the Sabres held strong, with Threatt icing the game from the free-throw line.
After the match, Rangers coach Warren Dawson could not fault his team’s spirit.
“I thought we had a red hot dip,” Dawson said.
“Our effort was terrific, and I always expected that to be the case.
“I still think we should have one the game, but there were just a few areas where our execution wasn’t as good as it should have been.”
Despite the loss, Dawson was able to acknowledge the quality of the Anzac Day spectacle.
“It was a game of the highest standard,” he said. “It was physical, passionate and all the things you want in a sporting contest.”
Earlier in the night, a stirring fourth-quarter rally was not enough for Dandenong’s Championship Women to overhaul Sandringham, as the Sabres held on to win 72-67.
Trailing 26-12 at quarter-time, the Rangers chipped away at the deficit to draw within nine points at the final break.
With Fazlyn Hartley (17, 8) finding her range and Faith Probst (13) penetrating the Sabres defence at will, Dandenong drew within three points in the dying minutes.
But it was all too late, as Sandringham – led by game MVP and recently-signed Jayco Ranger Nicole Hunt (16) – absorbed the Rangers’ run.
Backing up on Sunday, Dandenong again trailed Melbourne at the last break, but the Rangers managed to reverse Friday night’s scoreline in claiming a 72-67 victory.
Claire Fitzgerald top-scored with 18 points, while Probst (17, 13) completed another impressive weekend.
Dandenong (4-3) will travel to Eltham to face the Wildcats (3-4) this Sunday, while the Rangers men look to bounce back against the Devils (4-4) at Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre.