Stellar season ends

– Glen Atwell
THE Dandenong Rangers may have bowed out of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) finals, but just getting there was a victory on its own.
After losing four of the first five games of the season and crippled with injuries, the Rangers had been all but ruled out of finals contention.
Gary Fox described his side as cursed and said the Rangers’ luck with injury was the worst he had ever seen.
At the height of the struggle, Dandenong was missing almost an entire playing side, but somehow managed to wrestle a few early wins and keep its season alive.
As players began returning from injury, the Rangers found form and by the time Kathleen Macleod and Samantha Richards were back on the court, Dandenong was starting to look dangerous.
After Emily McInerney and Shelley Hammnonds returned, the Rangers were on a roll and a chance to play finals was back on the agenda.
An important victory against the Bulleen Boomers in the final of the Michele Timms Cup gave Dandenong some much-needed confidence and all eyes were firmly focused on the WNBL ladder.
By the time the final round arrived, the equation was simple; Dandenong had to beat Perth and Adelaide, both on the road, to make the finals.
The Rangers rolled Perth 84-63 and then put in their best game of the season to defeat Adelaide 73-69.
It was Dandenong’s fourth consecutive finals series and despite losing in the first week, the Rangers once again demonstrated their never-say-die spirit.