Luke Fitzgerald guarding the key in the Rangers’ 79-67 loss to the Kilsyth Cobras. 69679 Picture: Jarrod Potter
By Jarrod Potter
DANDENONG Rangers were eliminated one week into the South East Australian Basketball League finals, going down by 12 points to the Kilsyth Cobras, 79-67.
The Rangers were playing catch-up all night, with Kilsyth putting on a 24-17 first quarter lead and constantly pressuring Dandenong when they went to the basket.
The middle quarters saw the Rangers move back into contention, especially with a 25-21 third quarter, which squeezed the margin down to 60-55 in favour of the Cobras at the last change.
However, the wheels came off in the last quarter, as Kilsyth inflicted serious pain on Dandenong, with the Rangers unable to keep pace with the quicker Cobras.
Kilsyth posted 19-12 in the fourth quarter to extend its lead.
Cobras’ Matt O’Hea and Tim Lang did the majority of the damage, with O’Hea peppering the net for 18 points and taking six rebounds, while Lang had 16 points and six rebounds.
For the Rangers, Andrew Harms and Dusty Jura flew the flag, with Harms’ 16 points and constant drive to the ring a highlight. Jura posted 14 points and 10 rebounds to cap off a great season with a double-double.
Rangers coach Darren Perry praised the Cobras – noting their ability to hit the clutch three-pointers when they mattered most.
“It was probably anywhere between a zero and 12-point game all night,” Perry said.
“They attacked us and stretched the margin, then we came back, and it fluctuated back and forth.
“Even with a couple of minutes left on the clock, we were still there.
“They were a little better than us.
“Kilsyth were on a nine-game winning streak in the conference. We changed our defence to counteract them and we played as well as they did, but they shot better from the three-point line, hitting 10 while we only hit one.”
Perry was pleased with the season overall and the amount of game time the fledgling players were able to get throughout the year.
“The amount of game time we were able to get into our first years – (Dwayne) Campbell had done his knee, so we had five experienced guys on court and six first year players to complete the roster,” Perry said.
“To get some of those guys into finals action was something we wanted to do at the start of the year.”
The roster for next season, while still far from being finalised, will be without Dusty Jura, who is taking an assistant coaching role at his university.
The pathway from Junior Rangers to SEABL Rangers is something Perry wants to continue.
“What we’ve found was the Dandenong junior players coming through into the seniors ranks can certainly compete, so it’s a real positive to continue on that path,” he said.
“It shows all the other young players coming through there’s an opportunity for them coming in.”
Women
The Dandenong Rangers face the Knox Raiders on Saturday night in the first semi-final, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the SEABL grand final.
Dandenong comes into the match with a tied record against Knox, with the Rangers capturing their 14 May encounter 81-79, before the Raiders levelled the ledger with a 75-57 victory on 23 July.
Dandenong coach Larissa Anderson said the team was ready in their quest to win back-to-back SEABL championships.
“Semi-finals are always exciting,” Anderson said. “Both teams have earned their right to get straight into the final.
“The girls are already looking forward to it.”
“Steph (Cumming) and Elyse (Penaluna) are back, so a couple of the D league girls might miss out, but a couple of the girls also have some niggles, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
When asked about the stop-start routine of having a bye, then a final, followed by another bye, then the grand final, Anderson said it wasn’t an issue.
“The girls are used to it,” she said.
“We won the first semi last year and went straight into the grand final. The whole time they’re all training for WNBL, so it’s good to watch the load they have leading into the new season.”
