Bullied Rangers hit the wall

By Paul Pickering
BULLIED by Bulleen centre Liz Cambage on Saturday night, Dandenong went back to the drawing board ahead of this weekend’s hyped showdown with the Lauren Jackson-led Canberra Capitals.
Cambage, a former Dandenong junior, scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Boomers snapped the Rangers’ three-game winning streak with an 83-64 result at Traralgon.
The Rangers led 18-15 at the first change and trailed by just five midway through the third term, before the ladder-leading Boomers – boasting one of the tallest rosters in the WNBL – powered away to win in a canter.
Bulleen’s 49-28 advantage on the glass was the telling statistic, with Cambage, Rachel Jarry and Elyse Penaluna combining for 29 boards for the night.
Dandenong coach Dean Kinsman urged his charges to use their speed and athleticism against the taller Boomers, but they couldn’t sustain that tempo.
“I was disappointed that we weren’t able to stick to our game plan for a longer period of time,” he lamented.
“Four or five minutes into the second quarter we still had control of the game.
“Our tempo was good early and they went smaller to get themselves back into the contest, but that smaller group put Casey (Nash) and Ash (Lindsey) into a bit of foul trouble.
“Then he (Bulleen coach Tom Maher) was able to rotate his bigs back in and they controlled the game after that. Eventually they just overpowered us.”
The Americans, Nash (no points) and Lindsey (12 points, seven rebounds), managed just 34 minutes of court time between them, leaving Alison Downie (10), Megan Moody (7) and Faith Probst to deal with the Boomers’ tall timber.
Meanwhile, Bulleen guards Desi Glaubitz (17) and Sharin Milner (14) provided the perfect foil for their frontline.
A similarly daunting prospect lies ahead in Canberra on Friday night, with Jackson to play her first home game since returning to the league.
A crowd of almost 3000 is expected for the nationally-televised game, and Kinsman has told his charges to enjoy the atmosphere.
“That’s how I’ve pitched it to them,” he said.
“For girls like Casey and Ash, they’ll be able to go home and tell their parents they’ve played against Lauren Jackson, so they’ll want to make sure it’s a memorable experience.
“Don’t get caught up in it all, but enjoy it.”
Dandenong will back up for a game against the win-less AIS on Saturday night, before breaking until a 9 January game in Townsville.