Rangers’ late grab helps steal the match

DANDENONG point guard Kath MacLeod stole the ball and the win from Bendigo’s grasp in the last play of Friday night’s Victorian derby.
MacLeod intercepted an entry pass from Spirit forward Chelsea Aubry in the dying seconds, denying the home side a chance to erase Dandenong’s 76-74 lead and claim its first win of the season.
Instead, the Rangers extended their unbeaten record to 3-0 and, with Bulleen slumping to 0-2, remain the only Victorian side to have opened its account after two rounds of the WNBL season.
MacLeod’s last-minute heroics stemmed a late Spirit rally, and her team-high 16 points and five assists went a long way towards tipping the see-sawing clash in Dandenong’s direction.
Bendigo led by as much as nine points during the second quarter on the back of an 11-point term from Opals guard Kristi Harrower (17 points, eight assists), but the Rangers hit back to trail by just one at the half.
Strong contributions from Abby Bishop (14, eight rebounds), Jess Foley (12) and Steph Cumming (8) helped give the Rangers the edge in a hard-fought second half.
Spirit centre Gabrielle Richards (18, 13 rebounds) led all scorers, while Aubry chipped in with 15 points.
Dandenong coach Mark Wright was relieved to take a win away from a brutal contest.
“They say a loss can be good for you, but I think a close win is even better,” he said.
“I think we probably dodged a bullet. Kath came up with the big steal, which was very luck.
“We didn’t shoot the ball at a high (percentage), but you only play us well as your opponent lets you, and Bendigo was very physical and played well.”
Wright insists that his players are not yet “in sync”, which is an ominous sign ahead of tomorrow night’s home opener against the AIS.
Reigning champ Canberra (4-0) is the only other unbeaten side, while the injury-riddled Bulleen Boomers have had a nightmare start to their championship tilt.
Their woes have almost overshadowed Dandenong’s winning start, so Wright and his Rangers have little sympathy for their cross-town rival.
“I think Bulleen’s probably getting more publicity for not winning, but that’s OK, I’d rather be on our side of the ledger,” he said.
“My gut feeling is that Bulleen’s going to come back like a steam train, so the further we can get away from them the better.”