Rangers show no mercy

By Paul Pickering
The ninth-placed Lynx had been thrashed by 31 points at Bendigo the previous night, and the Rangers showed no mercy in finishing what the Spirit had started.
The 80-56 victory was highlighted by a welcome return to form from Dandenong guard Caitlin Ryan (21 points, four assists), who blew the game open in the second quarter with a series of long-range baskets.
Ryan had 15 points on five-of-seven from the field in the first half as the Rangers turned a two-point quarter-time lead into 15 at the main break.
The skipper’s renewed confidence seemed to rub off on her team-mates, with point guard Nicole Hunt (12) dropping a pair of threes on resumption.
Athletic forwards Alison Downie (9, five rebounds) and Faith Probst (8, 5) provided some valuable aggression in the second half as import centre Jenni Benningfield (12, 9) enjoyed a well-deserved rest.
Perth guards Kate Malpass (14) and Rebecca Mercer (11) sparked an improved showing against the Ranger reserves in the final term, but the damage had been done.
Dandenong coach Dale Waters had a “fairly heated” discussion with his players after a disinterested first half at Canberra the previous weekend, and he got the response he was looking for on Sunday.
“Everyone took some responsibility for their efforts in the first half against Canberra, and, to their credit, they applied themselves better during the week and came out a lot more focused,” he said.
“Still, it’s okay to do it against a team like Perth which is struggling, but the test will come this weekend when we come up against some good opposition.”
The Rangers, now 4-3, will play the Logan Thunder (2-7) on Friday night, before backing up against the Townsville Fire (7-1) on Saturday night.
Waters is hoping to the trip will launch his team into a difficult December schedule that includes games against each of the four teams above them on the ladder.
“Anything less than splitting this road trip is not acceptable for us, and ideally we want to win two-from-two because we have an opportunity to set ourselves up leading into Christmas,” Waters said.
The Rangers won four-straight heading into the holiday break last season and will be looking to emulate that feat this summer.