By JARROD POTTER
RANGER spirit crushed the Brisbane Spartans on Sunday afternoon, with Dandenong women taking a 79-52 win in their SEABL clash.
It was all over bar the final tally at the first break – Dandenong smashed Brisbane 25-11 with all the mainstays making their shots.
It continued thusly throughout the remainder – Dandenong coach Paul Flynn had the luxury of back-to-back weeks getting his starters off the court for extended breaks, while getting reliable contributions from his bench.
Amelia Todhunter continued her pursuit of All-Star selection with a monster match – knocking down 29 points, while Aimie Clydesdale (12 points) and Tenaya Phillips (11 points) also stood out with their efforts up and down the court.
Dandenong coach Flynn said the team’s recent loss to Knox has been a motivator pushing the Rangers upwards.
“We’re getting there,” Flynn said.
“The game we dropped to Knox brought us together a lot more and highlighted some things that needed to be done better.
“Our ball movement is great now, so I think that loss gave us a real kick-start and we’ve been really good since then.”
Following a starting-season in the WNBL with the West Coast Waves, Todhunter has returned to the SEABL fold in top form according to Flynn – averaging 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
“Amelia’s in really good form this season,” Flynn said. “Come back (from WNBL) and she’s in good shape, changing her tempo and shooting the ball really well.”
The Rangers women get one of their tall towers back from state duty – with Amanda Meinking set to return in the next couple of games, while Lauren Scherf is off in China playing for the Australian Gems under-19s.
Dandenong men were squeezed out narrowly by Brisbane in an 80-82 loss.
Going down to the wire, it was a battle of the three-pointers in the final term as the Spartans pushed ahead via Scott Kenny (4/11 3PT) and Dean Brebner (3/4 3PT).
Dandenong’s Ash Arnott (12 points, two rebounds) was the best of the Rangers long-shooters with four, while Daequon Montreal (23 points, 13 rebounds) was in all-star form with a pair of threes to his own tally.
Tony Lewis (17 points, eight rebounds) also impressed.
Hitting the road this week, the Dandenong teams face Canberra, with the women sitting comfortably in the SEABL East in second while the men have some work to do, down in fifth with a 4-5 record.
