WHILE the big silverware didn’t return to Dandenong Basketball Stadium this WNBL season, the
Dandenong Rangers capped off their year by dishing out their own glassware on Thursday night.
Awarding their best for season 2013/14 on Tuesday night, the Dandenong Rangers team celebrated the success of another finals-bound season – narrowly pipped by Townsville in the WNBL preliminary final.
Just shy of the WNBL’s top gong as its Most Valuable Player (MVP), finishing second to Townsville’s Suzy Batkovic, Jenna O’Hea was a clear winner for Dandenong’s MVP after a superstar season averaging 20.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on top of rattling impressive percentages for field goals (46.1 per cent) and three-pointers (41.1).
Alice Kunek was adjudged by Rangers’ coach Mark Wright and the Dandenong coaching panel as a deserving winner of the Coaches Award – with the Australian Opals’ representative upping her percentages on field goals and three-point conversions.
Kayla Pedersen was awarded Defensive Player of the Year for her tireless efforts guarding the likes of Batkovic and Gabe Richards deep in the Dandenong back half.
Announced as the recipient of the Janine Fielder Award – for the player who their team mates have most enjoyed playing and training with and who best represented the team on and off the court – was 300-gamer Alison Downie.
Four Dandenong Rangers were named in the preliminary Australian Opals 33-player squad for the FIBA World Championships in Turkey from 27 September to 5 October, with O’Hea, Kunek, Leilani Mitchell and Lauren Scherf named in the line-up.
