Double defeats burn Rangers

By Glen Atwell
FIRE and flames turned up the heat on the Dandenong Rangers last weekend, completing a horror two-game road trip in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
The Townsville Fire and the Sydney Flames toasted the reigning champions with consecutive defeats on Friday and Saturday, as the once unstoppable Rangers succumbed to a three-game losing streak.
The Flames did it in style, inflicting Dandenong with its biggest defeat (80-54) in the past four years of WNBL competition.
But the east-coast nightmare began in Townsville on Friday night, where the Rangers went down in unlucky fashion, 64-63.
With seconds remaining and Dandenong leading 63-62, Townsville star Rohanee Cox drew Ranger Emily McInerney’s fifth personal foul, sending Cox to the charity line for two free-throws and the chance to secure victory.
The 750-strong crowd was on its feet as Cox nailed two baskets to steal the 64-62 win and keep the Fire’s finals chances alive.
Dandenong coach Gary Fox remained focused on improving every game.
“Honestly, we’re just trying to get better every game,” he said.
“You can’t dwell on wins, you can’t dwell losses. It’s a game we’re playing. It’s got to be fun and enjoyable.
“Our whole thing is, we’ve got to learn from this, we’ve got to get better and we have to bounce back against Sydney.”
Little did Fox know, the weekend was about to get a whole lot worse.
Having already secured a spot in the playoffs, winning is not paramount for Dandenong. But a 26-point, 80-54 shellacking courtesy of Sydney on Sunday would definitely be sounding warning bells at the Stud Road Basketball Stadium.
The Flames outscored the Rangers in every quarter, as cracks in the Dandenong defence widened into gaping holes.
Sydney scoring machines Trisha Fallon (19 points and 10 rebounds) and Natalie Porter (16 points) were unstoppable on their offensive paint.
Jacinta Hamilton (12 points) was the only double-figure scorer for Dandenong, that slumped to its worst single-quarter performance of the season in the final term, adding only three points.
The Rangers remain on top of the WNBL ladder, but after three straight losses, their clash with second-placed Bulleen on Wednesday (yesterday) night became an instant blockbuster.
With two games remaining for the Rangers, the Dandenong side would be busting to return to winning form before starting the playoffs that could lead them to their third consecutive WNBL championship.