By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG earned back second billing in the WNBL with a 15-point win over the gutsy Melbourne Boomers.
The guards-of-honour Leilani Mitchell (16pts, 10ast, 6reb) and Jenna O’Hea (19pts, 4ast, 9reb) wrestled advantage back from the Boomers after the visitors took a narrow two-point lead at the first break.
Dandenong coach Mark Wright praised the efforts of Mitchell and was encouraged by the New York Liberty guard scoring more to open up that aspect of her game.
“It’s a big game – that being said and done – I’m still finding my way with the players and what I offer them and what I serve up to them as a coach and Leilani is an exceptional talent and I’ve just got to give her the opportunity to play at the level she can play at,” Wright said.
“Just by learning what she does really well and allowing her to take over the game more by herself – when she’s looking to score she’s more dangerous than when she’s just being a feeder… she does that exceptionally well, but being a scorer gives her that other dimension as well.”
The Dandy long-bombs started appearing in the second term as Mitchell and O’Hea hit them from wide out to register three each for the match.
A 20-9 final term pushed the match Dandenong’s way at last – with Mitchell, Rosie Moult (4pts) and O’Hea sealing the deal with long-range buckets to clinch Dandenong’s eighth win.
“They’re a good team – second on the ladder you don’t get that from not being really good,” Wright said.
“So from our point of view it’s always good when you beat someone above you and from a grind-it-out style of game I’m happy.”
Kayla Pedersen (10pts, 11reb) had an exceptional influence on the match, keeping Melbourne’s import Chelsea Poppens (5pts, 2reb) virtually quiet while posting her fourth double-double – all of which have come in a power-packed November for the Connecticut Suns’ WNBA recruit.
“I thought Kayla was exceptional tonight and I’m sure there’s a bit of a WNBA thing going on in there, but Poppens is an excellent player and I thought Kayla did a great job,” Wright said.
Rebecca Allen (24pts, 9reb) and Tess Madgen (15pts, 8reb) had to burden most of the offensive and defensive imitative for the Boomers, who are in desperate need to return Rachel Jarry to the line-up.
The 8-3 Dandenong travel across the Nullarbor this week to face the West Coast Waves on Saturday night before their final home game of the year next Saturday against Sydney Uni on 14 December and the marquee pre-Christmas match facing Bendigo away on 20 December.
“We’re 8-3 – hopefully 9-3 – and we’ve got two more games before Christmas – one against Bendigo which is going to be tough – as we try to go into the break with as close to three losses as we can,” Wright said.
“It puts us up to second for the moment and we’ve got to bust our rears to hang on to that.”
