Bendigo ruins

By Paul Pickering
EMILY McInerny grew up in Bendigo, but she could be excused for shuddering at the mention of her hometown at the moment.
Bendigo’s Spirit spoiled the retiring Ranger’s farewell game at Stud Road on Saturday night, just as it did her 300th WNBL outing a month ago.
The 60-50 loss saw Dandenong’s record slump to 6-15 ahead of Friday night’s season-ending clash with Sydney Uni in Hobart.
Bendigo point guard Kristi Harrower again tormented the Rangers, dropping a game-high 25 points to go with outings of 34 and 33 in the two previous encounters between the sides.
The Rangers won almost every statistical category, but shot the ball at a woeful 27 per cent for the night to surrender any chance of an upset victory.
Dandenong’s superiority in the boards (37-36) – as well as favourable assist (10-5) and turnover (10-16) counts – allowed it to stay within striking distance of the Spirit throughout the match, but the visitors sank six-consecutive free-throws in the dying minutes to ice the game.
Jenni Benningfield (14 points, seven rebounds) proved to be the only consistent scoring threat for the Rangers, while the efforts of youngsters Clare Papavs (8, 3) and Amelia Todhunter (4, 8) provided some encouragement for glass-half-full types like coach Dale Waters.
Papavs effectively nullified the influence of Harrower after a fast start, while Todhunter set the tone defensively upon stepping into the starting point-guard role for the injured Nicole Hunt (knee tendonitis).
Waters said the tale of the game was all too familiar.
“We actually executed our offence fairly well, but we just couldn’t finish off at critical times in the game,” he said.
The Rangers have suffered through a lamentable second half of the season, but Friday night’s ‘home’ fixture at Aurora Sports Stadium should be a rare highlight.
Dandenong’s commitment to the Tasmanian partnership looks likely to be rewarded with a sell-out crowd, and Waters is keen for his charges to leave an impression.
“That’s really exciting for us (to play in front of a packed stadium), and it would be nice to put on a good show and finish the year on a high note,” he said.
The Tassie crowd will also see the curtain drop on McInerny’s decorated career.