By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG had to struggle to finally put away Canberra 89-80 in Alison Downie’s 300th WNBL match.
Sprinting out to a 15-0 lead half way through the first term, Dandenong had the upper hand until Canberra playmakers Abby Bishop (26 points, 17 rebounds) and Nat Hurst (24 points) started to find their range.
The long game kept Canberra in the hunt through the middle terms as Hurst (6/9 3PM) burdened the workload.
Up the other end Kayla Pedersen shone for the Rangers, taking on Bishop, Alex Bunton and Carley Mijovic at various point and making her intent clear with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Leilani Mitchell (25 points, six assists) led the scoresheet for the Rangers while fittingly the ball ended up in Downie’s hands on the final buzzer, but the fairy tale three-point shot didn’t land.
Alice Kunek (18 points) and Jenna O’Hea (13) also made their impact felt in the final score.
Dandenong coach Mark Wright said it was a final of sorts with Canberra more than capable of being a final’s team.
“There was nothing between us and as much as they had to play a game last night, we had to travel so it was tough but good to get the win,” Wright said.
“They’re one of the teams that probably should’ve made the finals but didn’t and that’s why they’re a hard team to beat.”
The run home for Dandenong is a mini-finals series with matches against two finalists and the road-hardened Adelaide, but Wright thinks its perfect practice for the actual final’s series ahead.
“Going into finals that will be perfect for us,” Wright said, “Bendigo, Melbourne, Adelaide – I think if we can get through that and come out unscathed, I think we’re going to be mentally and physically ready going into finals.”
For the first-half of their round 17 double-header, Dandenong made light work of wooden spooners West Coast with a 99-61 win on Friday night.
The Waves fought hard throughout the first half to keep the margin to eight at the main break, but the Rangers powered ahead after half-time to run out 38-point winners.
Alice Kunek (25 points) continued her stellar January while Jenna O’Hea (22 points) and Leilani Mitchell (13 points, 10 rebounds) also seized big numbers in the win.
Gippsland rising star Rachel Antoniadou (2 points) recorded her points in the league, hitting 2/2 from the free-throw line.
Dandenong faces its toughest basketball weekend this season as it faces third placed Melbourne on Friday night at the State Basketball Centre before squaring off with ladder-leaders Bendigo at home on Saturday night.
