Dandy left reeling at Cobras’ double strike

By Stuart Teather
THERE was not much to cheer about at Stud Road on Saturday night as Dandenong’s men’s and women’s sides went down to local rival Kilsyth.
The Lady Rangers battled hard against their fancied opposition and were in the game up until the final change, when they trailed by two points.
But a last-quarter blitz from Kilsyth quashed Dandenong’s hopes of victory, with the Cobras outscoring the home side 23-8.
Dandenong hit just three of 15 shots in the final quarter, and with the loss the side slumped to its seventh consecutive defeat.
Elyse Penaluna shouldered much of the scoring load for the Lady Rangers hitting 10 of 18 shots for 22 points, but had little support on the offensive end, other than from Amelia Todhunter, who had 10 points.
The men’s side trailed from the outset against Kilsyth and struggled all night, with only two players reaching double figures in their 107-66 loss.
Dandenong fell behind by nine points at the first break, and were down by 12 at half-time.
The real damage was done in the third period, when Kilsyth shot 63 per cent from the field and a perfect three from three beyond the three-point arc to surge to a 24-point lead at the final change. Kilsyth similarly dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Rangers 35-18 to record a healthy 41-point win.
Dusty Jura posted 22 points and Matthew Witherden 20 but the Rangers had few other contributors, with Vince Inglima (six points) and Brent Hobba (three) unusually quiet.
Six Cobras reached double figures, including Joe Werner, who had his third 30-plus game with 33 points to lead all scorers.
This week the Rangers head across the Bass Strait for a double against Hobart on Friday night and North West Tasmania on Saturday, while the Lady Rangers take on Launceston on Saturday night.