By JARROD POTTER
WNBL – Round 15
DANDENONG barely escaped the riptide as the West Coast Waves crashed through the Rangers’ defences in the first half.
Dandenong secured its eighth win in a row after a nail-biting 87-80 win over West Coast on Saturday afternoon.
With the ABC cameras pointed at Dandenong Basketball Stadium for the final time, Dandenong and West Coast made the broadcast a memorable one. West Coast thoroughly dominated the first term as Lindsey Moore (17 points) dropped three treys in a matter of minute to leap out to a 2-10 lead.
The Rangers could not muster any significant three-point shooting of their own – hitting only 3/20 for the afternoon – and left the scoring to those who could crash through the Waves’ defence.
Penny Taylor (25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) would be the one to give a master class in paint point accumulation, as she barrelled through West Coast’s talls Darcee Garbin and Cassie Harberts to notch 10 points in the third term alone.
Alongside the Opals’ champion was WNBA champion Cappie Pondexter (21 points, 8 rebounds) – the only Ranger to hit her straps from beyond the perimeter as she hit all three of Dandenong’s outside tally.
Dandenong expanding their break to 63-50 at one stage, but the Waves found ways to stay in the clash.
West Coast wouldn’t lie down and accept defeat without one last assault. Levelling the scores at 71-all by the half-way mark of the fourth quarter, West Coast’s Harberts (11 points, 12 rebounds) smashed into the Dandenong defence and put up some important rebounds and points and gave Dandenong one last headache.
Cooler heads would prevail as Taylor powered through, flicked off the assist to Tegan Cunningham (12 points, 5 rebounds) to take the lead before adding another two from the free throw line to calm the West Coast swell and eventually notch the seven-point victory.
“It’s one of those days where things didn’t go to plan and we didn’t have the energy and yet still got 87 points and won,” Dandenong coach Mark Wright said.
“We had to do it hard and had to eke out a win somehow, so luckily we’ve got Penny and Cappie there.”
Dandenong has secured its third spot in the WNBL finals series and will start its run towards the post-season this weekend in an away match against the Melbourne Boomers.
