By JARROD POTTER
ENCORE, encore – the fans will no doubt want more of the Dandenong high-skill, high-energy basketball that secured them a 12-point win in its season-opener against Logan.
Like a grand orchestra, each Ranger played their part precisely and emphatically in front of the captivated audience.
The new look Dandenong Rangers took apart the visiting Logan Thunder – snaring the high energy 103-91 victory.
While Logan snatched the lead sporadically throughout the match, Dandenong hit its crescendo at the perfect moment – with new Rangers’ Alice Kunek and Kayla Pedersen dominating the fourth-quarter to help reap the win.
Dandenong’s WNBA quartet lived up to their marquee billing – Jenna O’Hea (29 points, nine rebounds), Natalie Novosel (18 points, five rebounds), Pedersen (16 points, eight rebounds) and Leilani Mitchell (two points, eight assists) – all rattled the Thunder when their time to step up came.
Mitchell’s impact was all the more impressive as she flew into Melbourne on Friday – with less than a day to acclimatise and prepare for the match.
Given the shoes she has to fill – with Dandenong’s All-Star point guard Kathleen Macleod sitting out the season – coach Mark Wright was suitably pleased with the New York Liberty guard’s performance.
“I’m impressed… I think she brings something else to our team,” Dandenong coach Mark Wright said about Mitchell’s debut.
“We can’t replace Kathleen (Macleod), but to see Leilani in there (at point guard), bringing players into the game and doing what she does… it’s nice and the players have got to learn to play and realise she can pass the ball like that… it’s a nice addition.”
The biggest adulation belonged to Kunek – with the Australian Opals representative sublimely shooting three of her four three-pointers in a five-minute purple patch in the fourth quarter.
Kunek finished the match with a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double to send shockwaves through the WNBL.
For a brand new team only just finding their harmony, the Rangers best work was done collectively. Dandenong clutched 43 rebounds to Logan’s 21 and shot at a whopping 86 per cent from the free throw line.
“There’s lots of positives there and for us we know that this team is just going to get better and the chemistry will build,” Wright said.
“I think we’ve seen that – they already look like they enjoy playing together, so hopefully that builds into something special over time.”
There were a few sour notes – centre Brigitte Ardossi fouled out from only 8.57 minutes of game-time and defensively the Rangers suffered all-match as the Thunder hit their shots.
Logan’s star shooting guard Laurie Koehn (32 points, 8-13 three pointers) was given too much room on the perimeter and Wright demanded more of his players to match the best in the opposing half of the court.
“The result was good, but to give up 90 points is bad,” Wright said.
“So that’s the first thing we have to do… contain and to stick to our defensive rules and our discipline.”
Dandenong flies up to Sydney next weekend to face the Sydney Uni Flames on Friday night from 7.30pm.
