Rangers fail at first test

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG paid the price for a sluggish start to its WNBL season-opener at Stud Road on Friday night, slumping to 70-55 loss at the hands of Victorian rival Bendigo.
The Rangers were ice-cold in the first half, scoring just six points in the opening term and shooting 7-of-34 from the field to halftime.
The revamped home side trailed 34-15 at the main break and, despite an impressive performance from new recruit Megan Moody (18 points, 7 rebounds), couldn’t bridge the gap in the second half.
Spirit star Kristi Harrower (23, 6) torched the Rangers – not for the first time – and forged a dominant backcourt partnership with livewire Kelly Wilson (20, 8).
It was an inauspicious start to the season for both teams, with Bendigo taking a 9-6 lead in a scrappy first term.
Returning Ranger Stephanie Cumming (7, 5) quelled Harrower’s influence early, but picked up her third foul approaching halftime. Her absence gave Harrower the freedom to take over the game.
Dandenong found its range and the confidence to push the ball up the floor in the third, but could only cut the halftime margin by two points.
They drew within five with five minutes remaining in the fourth, but the Spirit held strong to ice the game from the free-throw line in the dying minutes.
Rangers coach Dale Waters was left to rue a rusty and tentative opening.
“We just struggled to find our feet a bit in the first half, but the second half was much better,” he said.
“We really just broke the shackles in the second half and ran the floor really well, which is more our game style.
“Being able to replicate that across the four quarters is going to be crucial for us this year.”
More concerning was the underwhelming start from American centre Ashley Lindsey, who went 0-of-7 from the field in 13 minutes of action.
“I think she’s just going to take some time to get used to the league and the game style,” Waters reflected.
“She missed a lot of high-percentage shots close to the basket, and if she’d converted those it might have been a different story.”
Fellow import Casey Nash (9, 8) tried hard at both ends of the court, while Kiwi arrival Toni Edmondson (7, 5) was serviceable.
The Rangers will travel to Sydney to face the Flames on Saturday night. Waters believes a road victory could be just the tonic for his newly-assembled roster.
“With five new girls in the group, it’s going to take a while for them to gel, but if we can raise the bar on Friday’s performance we’re a chance,” he said.