Rangers finally finish – just

By Paul Pickering
FINISHING has not been Dandenong’s forte this season, but the Rangers finally bucked that trend by defeating Sydney Uni 73-70 in Hobart on Friday night.
The narrow final-round victory ensured a fitting finale for Rangers legend Emily McInerny, who was mobbed by teammates as the siren sounded to bring her 307-game WNBL career to a close.
Earlier, the Rangers looked like being embarrassed in their Tasmanian home-away-from-home when they slumped to a 13-point quarter-time deficit.
They shot the ball at a diabolical clip of 13 per cent in the opening term, while dropping their trademark defensive pressure to allow Flames forward Eva Afeaki (22 points, 6 rebounds) to dominate inside.
Dandenong import Jenni Benningfield (25, 10) – another post-match retiree – and forward Alison Downie (12, 6) willed their team back into the contest in the second quarter as the Rangers reduced the margin to nine at the main break.
The home side came out firing in the third, levelling the scores at 46 on the back of an 11-0 run midway through the term.
Young slasher Katie Ebzery (14) was the spark, creating scoring opportunities off the dribble and nailing a couple of mid-range jump-shots.
The 19-year-old guard capped a 25-9 quarter – Dandenong’s best for the season – with a baseline jumper in the dying seconds, and the Ranger lead was 10 when Amelia Todhunter landed a three on the first play of the final term.
The Flames rallied to take a one-point advantage when floor-general Alicia Poto (15) drained a triple with 2:20 on the clock.
Ebzery came up with a crucial block on the next play, before the Rangers’ old guard of Caitlin Ryan (12) and McInerny (7 rebounds, 4 assists) took over.
Ryan connected on a customary top-of-the-key bomb to put Dandenong up 72-70 with 45 seconds left, leaving Macca to close the game out with a pair of huge defensive boards.
Dandenong coach Dale Waters was relieved to finally capture a close one.
“I think it was important for them to finish on a high note, not only for Macca but for themselves,” he said.
“They’ve faced a lot of adversity this season, but they’ve kept working hard, so it’s a good reward and it will give them some confidence for next year.”
Waters said Downie’s performance was ‘a real effort game’ and her best of the season, and he also acknowledged the contributions of stand-in starters Ebzery and Todhunter.
The second-year coach said the emergence of some young stars had been the highlight of an otherwise forgettable 2008-09 campaign.
The Rangers finished the season in seventh place with a 7-15 record.
*** Read Star Sport next week for a full season review.