By Nick Creely
SARA Blicavs has celebrated her 150th game in style, with the Dandenong Rangers thrashing fellow WNBL contender Perth Lynx by 20 points on Sunday evening.
The match, which was the second game in a weekend double-header for both teams, was one way traffic for the Rangers, who bounced back from a bitterly disappointing loss to Bendigo the night before.
Steph Cumming dominated the court, claiming the MVP for her performance.
The star guard racked up 31 points and 12 rebounds in a stunning display.
But Cumming stole the show with her incredible ability to find the net, shooting 5/8 from deep, bringing the fans to their feet.
“Steph was amazing,” Rangers coach Larissa Anderson said.
“Not just the way she was shooting, but the ability to find her was outstanding and she just had that hunger back.”
Natalie Novosel was instrumental in the win, while champ Sara Blicavs was consistent as always, racking up 14 points and six rebounds.
“Nat (Novosel) just had an all-round game really; quite incredible.
The Rangers controlled the game right from the start, powering to a 26-16 quarter time lead, and after the Lynx showed some fight in the third and fourth quarters, it was the hard running duo of Blicavs and Novosel that helped steady the home side to a crushing victory.
Anderson was proud of her group, but even more elated at the response of her team following a flat loss to Bendigo the night before.
“The girls showed what they are capable of after an unbelievably flat performance before that.
“They’ve been up and down like this for a while now, and that’s something we just have to work through and learn from.
“For a team that has so much offensive power – they just haven’t clicked and that can’t be the case when you come up against a team like Bendigo.
“We knew it couldn’t repeat itself.
“To the girl’s credit, we had an open and honest chat about what we need to work on.
“I couldn’t be more proud with what they dished up against Perth, who made the grand final last year for a reason.
“Defensively we did a really good job and it was against such a strong team which is very pleasing for me.
Sara Blicavs, 23, was honoured pre-game in front of the packed Rangers crowd for her outstanding contribution to WNBL basketball, and Anderson paid tribute to the impact she has had on the group.
“I couldn’t speak more highly of her to be honest.
“The job she did on Carley Mijovic was just outstanding – that was almost the game in a nutshell.
“She is a delight to have around – she’s very bubbly and always enthusiastic and self-driven.
“She’s also so disciplined and just wants to improve and get better and do the best thing by the team.
“To reach 150 games at the ripe old age of 23 is quite outstanding and who knows what is ahead of her – she can do whatever she wants to, Sarah.”
The forward’s field goal percentage has consistently been around 40% her entire career, highlighting the impact and consistency since her WNBL debut in 2009.
But Anderson attributes this to good old-fashioned hard work
“She trains unbelievably hard every single session and she’s one of the girls I look too.
“To me, a big secret behind her improving at the rate she is comes down to how hard she works all the time, “Anderson said.
The Rangers face Townsville Fire on 21 October at Dandenong Stadium, in what is set to be a massive challenge for the girls in green.
In a nutshell…
Points
Dandenong Rangers 94 (Stephanie Cumming 31, Natalie Novosel 15, Sara Blicavs 14, Aimee Clydesdale 12)
Perth Lynx 74 (Sami Whitcomb 23, Ruth Hamblin 14, Monica Wright 11)
Rebounds
Dandenong Rangers (Stephanie Cumming 12, Natalie Novosel 9, Jacinta Kennedy 9, Sara Blicavs 6)
Perth Lynx (Carley Mijovic 9, Ruth Hamblin 8, Tenaya Phillips 6)
Assists
Dandenong Rangers (Natalie Novosel 9, Stephanie Cumming 4, Sara Blicavs 3)
Perth Lynx (Antonia Edmonson 6, Monica Wright 4)
