Rangers face trial by Fire

By Jarrod Potter
BACK at home for the next three weeks after four matches on the road, the Dandenong Rangers face the Townsville Fire tomorrow night.
The Rangers went 0-2 for last round, with a 78-76 loss to the Adelaide Lightning on Saturday evening before going down narrowly in overtime against the Bulleen Boomers 93-87 on Sunday night.
Jenna O’Hea turned in two all-star performances, with 17 points and nine assists against the Lightning and a match-high 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the loss to Bulleen.
Kathleen Macleod shot 15 points against Adelaide and 21 facing Bulleen and Krista Phillips made a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Boomers game to continue her great form this season.
Wright said that while it had been a difficult part of the season for the Rangers, but they were better for the experience gained from the losses.
“From a group or team point of view, it was very disappointing as we thought we could win both of those games,” Wright said.
“To fall short on both it will harden our resolve and it shows we can compete with anyone in the league.
“We’ve proven that with Bulleen twice now, as we had a chance to win both times.
“You’ve got to beat those teams and we know we can, so that’s positive.”
Wright said the contributions from O’Hea and Macleod, besides their high scoring, is their assist game, with Macleod leading the league for assists-per-game and O’Hea fourth on that list.
“Jenna and Kathleen are our stand-out players. They’ve been very well supported by the team, and they’re both in the top 10 for assists, so they’re dishing it out to the team as well.”