Rangers celebrate Christmas at the top

– Glen Atwell
THE Dandenong Rangers rolled into the Christmas break with a merry 14-point victory over the Canberra Capitals in their Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) match at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium on Friday night.
The 82-68 scoreline proved the emphatic difference between first and second position on the WNBL ladder.
The Capitals have slowly crept into second position in recent weeks, but were no match for the dominant Dandenong Rangers, who look on their way to securing a third consecutive league title.
After a week of intense five-hours-a-day training with the Commonwealth Games Opals squad, Jacinta Hamilton and Carly Wilson could have been excused for lacking energy but showed no signs of slowing down, scoring 23 and 22 points respectively.
Hamilton netted 10 field goals and dominated both backboards with five offensive and five defensive rebounds.
Wilson scored 11 baskets from 14 attempts during her 26 minutes of game time.
Another supreme defensive effort from the Rangers proved the difference between the two sides on the night.
The Rangers converted 50 per cent of their field opportunities, towering over the lowly rate of 39 per cent sustained by the Capitals.
With seven games remaining in the season, the Rangers should cruise into the playoffs despite playing the final four games of the season away from their Stud Road haven.
The Rangers have 12 wins and two losses and are two wins clear of their Canberra opponents.
The season resumes on 8 January, the Rangers taking on the winless Australian Institute of Sport students, who sit on the bottom of the WNBL ladder.