Michelle Brogan scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds in Dandenong’s loss to Adelaide at Mount Gambier on Saturday night.
By Paul Pickering
THE Dandenong Rangers failed to complete an improbable series sweep of Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) championship favourites, going down 76-59 to the Adelaide Lightning at Mount Gambier on Saturday night.
This was despite a lone effort in offence by veteran Australian Opal Michelle Brogan with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Having beaten the top-of-the-table Lightning in both their previous encounters, the Rangers failed to recapture that form in the absence of injured skipper Caitlin Ryan (quadriceps-knee).
Ryan made the trip to Mount Gambier but failed to suit up, putting extra pressure on a Dandenong backcourt that was always going to be stretched by the Lightning’s athletic guard rotation.
After leading by a single point at quarter time, the Rangers bled 26 points in an uncharacteristic defensive lapse in the second stanza.
Without one of its key offensive weapons, Dandenong failed to make any indentation on the half-time deficit.
Coach Dale Waters said the second quarter had hurt.
“But the main thing was our inability to contain their perimeter players,” he said.
“I was disappointed the way we lost it defensively, we took a slight step back in that regard.”
Adelaide’s backcourt trio of Jessica Foley (25 points), Erin Phillips (14) and Angela Marino (10) combined to do most of the damage, while Rangers Rachael Flanigan (seven) and Chantella Perera (five) were unable to penetrate the robust Lightning defence.
“We ran some good plays and got some wide open shots, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the hole,” Waters lamented post-match.
Having gone into the mid-season break on the back of a three game winning streak, the first-up loss sees the Rangers (8-8) slip a game and a half outside the top four.
With matches against finals prospects Bulleen, Sydney, Townsville and Canberra over the next month, Waters knows it is now or never for his charges.
Dandenong will play host to the Boomers at Stud Road from 7.30pm this Friday night.
