By Jarrod Potter
WNBL – ROUND 10 REVIEW
PROVING there are no free passes in the WNBL this season, Dandenong was pushed all the way against last placed Canberra in an 84-80 triumph.
The Rangers welcomed back co-captain Aimie Clydesdale (three points), but the injury merry-go-round found a different Dandenong guard to sideline as Tenaya Phillips (shins) will likely miss at least the lead up to Christmas.
Canberra’s effort came in waves – it was exceptional at the start, mediocre in the middle but strong at the finish – and if they put together four quarters of their best, the Capitals would not be cemented to the bottom of the ladder.
The Rangers had their upsides as well – out-rebounding the taller Capitals and shooting excellently throughout the arc – but just as many downsides – giving away a horrendous 22 turnovers and letting go of a 19-point led throughout the third term.
Through the middle phase of the clash, the Rangers pushed ahead, led by Annalise Pickrel (22 points, seven rebounds) and Jacinta Kennedy (13 points, eight rebounds), and at one stage had outscored Canberra 53-34.
Pickrel was brilliant in the third term – adding seven points in a minute through a long trey and two hard-fought lay-ups off rebounds, before getting up the court to put a mighty block on Denesha Stallworth.
Kennedy, Pickrel, Lauren Scherf and Alison Downie had the tough job inside keeping Canberra’s talls Abby Bishop and Stallworth quiet, but tenacious defending – Larissa Anderson’s trademark – seemed to filter easily through the roster for a while.
Steph Cumming (22 points) maintained her scoring spree but was equally impressive defensively as she and Sara Blicavs (12 points) savaged the Capitals on the other side of the ball.
The Rangers blanketed Canberra, who put up mostly desperation shots as the visitors couldn’t capitalise on many of Dandenong’s 22 turnovers.
The see-saw reversed once again in the final term as Steph Talbot (20 points) and Abi Wehrung (15 points) shot the three-ball well to cut Dandenong’s lead, but the Rangers had enough in the tank to get home by a nose.
Canberra guard Renee Montgomery (17 points) nailed two threes in the final 30 seconds of the match to make the score more respectable for the visitors who are still searching for their first win after 12 attempts.
Dandenong coach Larissa Anderson had bittersweet thoughts after the win – with the upsides just outweighing the lapses in concentration at the end.
“I think it’s always a bugger because I think for the majority of the game tonight I thought the girls were fantastic,” Anderson said. “For some reason we just keep letting go of really good leads and once again a 17-point lead, same as what we did against Adelaide last week.
“I’m still proud of the girls’ overall effort – for the better part of the game they did a really good job and credit to Canberra, they shot the lights out – I think they could’ve closed their eyes and gone at the end.”
The win keeps Dandenong in the hunt for a top four spot – with three games in hand over fourth ranked Bendigo.
Dandenong’s tough schedule next week starts with a Friday night cross-town showdown against Melbourne at home before travelling up to Townsville to face the reigning premiers.
