By Hayley Wildes
On Friday night in their home opener at Dandenong Stadium, the Dandenong Rangers couldn’t get their offence going. Despite their best efforts, their shots weren’t falling and the Sydney Uni Flames – led by Belinda Snell and Alex Bunton – were making everything.
Trailing by eight points at half time, 42-34, the Rangers had plenty of work to do. A first half that was marred by offensive woes, Dandenong was struggling to get out and run. The only player who was making strong inroads was Bec Cole, who led the Rangers with 13 first-half points.
“I think for us, it’s a bit of a challenge when we come out and start playing slow. They obviously came out and played really hard and made a lot of shots, but we just had to weather that storm and focus on our game,” Dandenong guard, Tessa Lavey said.
In the second half, things turned around.
“[In the second half] we got to run and that’s our game – that’s how we got ourselves back into the game.” She said.
Cole, along with Lavey and Betnijah Laney, were exceptional in leading the Rangers back in the contest.
Despite still trailing by seven points at the final break, the Rangers had found their defensive intensity and you could sense the fourth quarter was going to be a tight one.
Laney was simply superb. Not just in the fourth quarter when it mattered most, but all night. Her intensity and ability to secure key boards made her the most important player on the court.
Captain Amelia Todhunter started the fourth quarter and was vital in lifting the team with her tough defence. An 11-2 run to begin the fourth quarter saw the Rangers take the lead, 55-53, with 6:30 left in the game.
Cole’s impact on the contest was profound. As well as being a guard that can score in a variety of ways, her toughness and willingness to take the big shots in crunch time stood out on Friday night.
With two minutes remaining, the Rangers held a three-point lead, 63-60. It was Cole, of course, who drained the biggest shot of the night – a two-point jump shot – with 37 seconds remaining to guide the Rangers home, 66-62.
Laney (17 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists), Cole (21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) and Lavey (13 points and 3 rebounds) were massive down the stretch.
