Rangers hit road block

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG’S barnstorming start to the WNBL came to an abrupt halt in Queensland on the weekend, with back-to-back losses to Logan and Townsville.
The previously undefeated Rangers fell victim to the giant-killing Thunder 80-68 on Friday night, before surrendering a three-quarter-time lead over the Fire to go down 73-66 on Sunday.
Rangers coach Mark Wright described the northern road trip as a humbling experience for his talented group.
“We needed that test to see where we fit into the bigger picture and we have a very clear vision right now,” he said. “I’d have to say we weren’t hungry enough and we just thought it would fall into place for us. We had our chances in both games, so there’s no-one to blame but ourselves.”
Wright resisted the temptation to use a lop-sided foul count in both games as an excuse for his players.
The Rangers – so disciplined during their four-game unbeaten streak – committed 15 fouls in the second half on Friday night to gift the Thunder 21 free-throw attempts.
The home side made 14 of those and, with Dandenong attempting just one for the half, that was the difference in a game that was deadlocked at the main interval.
Key performances from Fire trio Sarah Graham (19 points), Cayla Francis (14) and Renae Camino didn’t help either, while Abby Bishop (16) and Kath MacLeod (10) led the Rangers.
It was a similar story in Townsville, where the home side rallied from a 54-52 deficit at the last break to ice the game from the charity stripe.
Bishop (15) again led the way on offence, but was no match for the likes of Jo Hill (21), Amy Lewis (17) and Rachel Allison (16).
Wright said the foul count reflected a more determined approach from the home sides and hoped “the penny has dropped” for his highly-rated team.
“If this happened at the other end of the season I’d be concerned, but no-one has pushed the panic button,” he said.“I hope history will say it was the weekend when we decided that we have to work harder. Teams will come after us and want our scalp, and we shouldn’t hand it over quite as easily as we did on the weekend.”
After slipping to 4-2 for the season and third place on the ladder, the Rangers will now host the 4-1 Thunder in a return bout at Stud Road on Saturday.
Wright believes a more aggressive approach on offence is the key to a form reversal. Tip-off is at 1pm at the Dandenong Stadium.