Left: Dandenong Rangers’ co-captain Caitlin Ryan gets ready to shoot one from the charity line.By Glen Atwell
THE stakes could not be higher for the Dandenong Rangers and Bulleen Boomers.
With the Michele Timms Cup on the line and a Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) play-off spot still up for grabs, the atmosphere at Dandenong Basketball Stadium will reach fever pitch when the game tips into action tomorrow (Friday) night.
After Dandenong won the first of the three-match series in early November, the Boomers squared the ledger 1-1 on Sunday afternoon with a 73-65 win, and afforded the team some breathing space on the WNBL ladder.
Bulleen, in fourth spot, now has an important two-game break over fifth-placed Dandenong, and the Rangers have some serious work to do if they are to secure a play-off position.
After both sides defeated reigning WNBL champions Canberra Capitals in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, confidence was not an issue, but fatigue could have played a factor.
Bulleen had a three-day break after beating the Capitals on Thursday, while Dandenong had less than 24 hours to recover from its 76-66 victory over Canberra on Saturday night.
The Rangers struggled to contain the slick speed of the Boomers in the first quarter as some early three-point shooting from both teams set the tone for the game.
Bulleen escaped to a 10-point lead at quarter-time, thanks mainly to a mismatch that saw Dandenong’s Caitlin Ryan tagging lightning-fast Boomers guard Des Glaubitz.
After extending the lead to 15 points early in the second quarter, Bulleen looked to have the match on a string, but a seven-point charge by Dandenong reduced the margin back to eight with four minutes left in the half.
But Glaubitz and Sharon Milner again popped up to reverse the momentum.
Both hit three-pointers and led Bulleen to a 49-36 buffer at the main break.
The statistics told the tale – Dandenong had attempted three more field goals than Bulleen, but the Boomers shot at 63 per cent while Dandenong dwindled to below 40 per cent.
The third quarter saw the Rangers charge again.
The ever-consistent Ryan netted eight consecutive points, and when Kathleen McLeod sank a foul throw to complete an 11-0 run to Dandenong, the margin was only five.
But the Boomers steadied. Kath McMeeken-Ruscoe (15 points) stepped in for the out-of-touch Hollie Grima, who made just four from 19 field attempts for the night.
The Opals world champion was well held by supreme Dandenong defender Emily McInerney, who sacrificed some of her offensive game to keep a lid on the usually dangerous Grima.
With a 61-51 lead at three-quarter time, Bulleen kept its cool in the sweltering conditions at the Veneto Club and recorded a hard-fought eight-point win.
Milner (17 points) was once again the main cause of concern for Dandenong, her quick stepping and lightning turn of foot no doubt leaving Rangers’ coach Gary Fox with more questions than answers.
Fox said he felt as though Dandenong tried too hard to win, especially in the first half.
“I think we were a bit over the top, but in the second half our game picked up and I saw a number of positives,” he said.
“Emily (McInerney) was great on Hollie (Grima), she was so focused on her defensive game and was well backed up by Larissa Cavanagh, that worked well.”
Fox said the play-offs were still a real possibility, but it would mean more winning than losing in the run home.
“We’ve just got to keep winning. We must win on Friday night and then keep going,” he said.
“We’re focused on the job we have to do.”
The game begins at 8.10pm and will be broadcast live around Australia on ABC2.
