Rangers hope for a Knox slip

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG’S fate is in the hands of bitter rival Knox this weekend as the play-off race heats up in the SEABL East con-ference.
The Rangers crushed lowly Albury Wodonga 92-68 on Saturday night to draw within two games of the Raiders, who currently occupy the fourth and final play-off spot in the East.
Both Dandenong and Knox have three matches remaining, so the Rangers need the reigning SEABL champions to stumble in their weekend double-header.
For their part, the Rangers simply must win tonight’s clash with Geelong at Stud Road and follow up with a victory over Kilsyth at the Snakepit on Saturday night.
It’s an unenviable equation, but while there’s life there’s hope for skipper Vince Inglima and his charges.
Inglima played hurt on Saturday night, battling a sprained ankle – suffered early in the previous weekend’s loss to Bendigo – to offer 20 minutes of service against the Bandits.
He was clearly hampered on his way to two points on one-of-five shooting from the field, while Lucas Walker missed with his injured shoulder.
Forwards Matt Witherden (15 points) and Brent Hobba (15, nine rebounds) relished the extra minutes alongside big American Luke Fitzgerald (18, 10), who continues to produce with a minimum of fuss.
Shooting guard Jon Shepherd chipped in with 13 points as the Rangers jumped out to a 22-12 quarter-time lead and never looked back.
The Bandits relied too heavily on American swingman Ryan Bright (30, 10) and sharp-shooter Nick Payne (24).
Meanwhile, Dandenong’s Lady Rangers look to be hitting an untimely slump after suffering their second-straight loss on Sunday.
The Rangers went down 85-75 to Brisbane, with WNBL talents Natalie Purcell (27) and Kristen Veal (21) doing the damage for the visiting Spartans.
Larissa Anderson (18) and Clare Papavs (17) led the way for Dandenong, while Rangers WNBL recruit Kathleen Macleod had 13 points in her first outing in the green and gold.
Strangely, the Rangers jumped back into top spot as Launceston dropped both of its game on the weekend.
The girls play Kilsyth at home on Saturday night, before heading to border town to face Albury Wodonga on Sunday.