Above: Dandenong coach Dale Waters addresses his charges during Friday’s dramatic one-point win over Bulleen.By Paul Pickering
THE Dandenong Rangers revelled in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) spotlight on Friday night, rallying from 13 points down to stun cross-town foe Bulleen 63-62 at Dandenong Stadium.
The superbly scripted sporting melodrama played out in front of a 1000-strong Stud Road crowd and a national television audience.
And for those fans who had winced and groaned as Dandenong shot one for 16 in the third term to trail 52-39 at the last break, the Rangers’ final-quarter barrage must have defied belief.
Earlier, it was only Emily McInerny’s (14 points) accurate shooting that had kept the Rangers in the game as Bulleen’s twin towers – Emma Randall (18) and Elyse Penaluna (16) – took control in the paint.
But after the gutsy Rangers had scrapped their way back into the contest, it was Shelley Hammonds (15 points, six rebounds, five blocks) – playing her 150th WNBL game – who drove a dagger into the Boomers’ hearts.
Hammonds, who this season returned from a career-threatening knee injury, combined with Michelle Brogan (15, 11 rebounds) to carry the Rangers to a victory they simply had to have.
With her team trailing 62-60 inside the last minute, Hammonds provided a crucial defensive stop by sending back a Penaluna jump hook.
The statuesque centre then accepted a pass at the top of the key and calmly drained her only three-point attempt of the night to spark a spontaneous eruption from the Dandenong faithful.
It was a hoarse but exhilarated Dandenong coach Dale Waters who sung the praises of Hammonds after the game.
“Champion players come up with champion shots,” he said.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start, but I think it was just that a few girls stepped up and had some courage – and Shelley certainly led the way.
“You’ve got to remember this girl hasn’t played for two-and-a-half years, so to play like that at both ends of the floor and come up with some big baskets down the stretch is a credit to her.”
Waters noted that Hammonds’ heroics may be worth more than just a win to Dandenong.
“I think it’s really important to have some confidence that you can claw your way back into a game,” he said.
“If that happens again, we can look back on the game against Bulleen and say ‘we were 13 down but we kept on coming’.”
And while his charges continue to play in patches, Waters could not deny the theatre of the evening.
“I think it’s exciting for the sport, particularly for women’s sport,” Waters said.
“But you wouldn’t want to be trying to win like that each week.”
The Rangers (9-8, fifth place) will certainly need to make a better start this week as they travel to Sydney Uni to face the second-placed Flames on Friday night.
