By JARROD POTTER
WNBL – SEMI-FINAL
ALL it took was 58 seconds.
Dandenong had dominated SEQ Stars all night – leading for 97 per cent of the match – but the crunch moments of its 82-86 semi-final loss, the remaining three per cent, will leave the team wondering what could be.
Not even the raucous 1473 strong crowd could cheer their Rangers home as the side fell away in the fourth, conceding 31 points in the final term to give up the lead with only seconds remaining.
Dandenong couldn’t ask for more offensively early though, as the hosts knocked down 41-apiece in each half, but the errors crept in defensively through the second half as the Stars started shining.
Learning their lessons from last week, the Rangers kept Jordan Hooper (11 points) on a tight leash through the first half, not letting the American import get her long-range game going, while generally keeping the Stars unsettled in their own half.
The rest of the Stars’ starting roster found the ring as well – as Rachael Jarry (24 points), Ify Ibekwe (21 points) and Bec Allen (17 points) kept the scoreboard ticking – but Dandenong maintained dominion on court.
Aimie Clydesdale (eight points) caught fire of her own in the second, knocking down two treys to push the margin out to 15 as Dandenong seemed a certainty to erase the disappointment of the last two weeks.
Taking the mantle of on-court leader to heart, Sara Blicavs (38 points, nine rebounds) was extraordinary throughout every second of the semi. She took the game on, rode her luck and produced an array of shots that had to be seen to be believed. Whether she amazed with flying lay-ups through a sea of Stars’ defenders or sank clutch threes, Blicavs ensured Dandenong didn’t go down without a fight. The Opals’ swingman burdened the scoring responsibilities late in the clash as SEQ mounted its successful comeback.
Playing her first WNBL final in over decade, Jacinta Kennedy (12 points) also shone, carrying on despite battling Ibekwe and Nadeen Payne in the key – even after a quick trip to the locker rooms in the third term after a knock to the abdomen.
SEQ continued to chip away at the tally, while Blicavs in particular kept the Rangers on track with her aerial superiority.
But no matter what Dandenong did, there was no stopping the late SEQ surge.
The close guarding on Hooper fell down in the finale as her long-range trey pushed the Stars ahead for the first time in the clash.
Dandenong couldn’t muster one last piece of magic as the season came to a soul-shattering end at the third last hurdle.
Rangers coach Larissa Anderson said it boiled down to defence and the side couldn’t hold the Stars in the clinch moments, especially as they sent the visitors to the line far too often.
“I feel like we had that – I personally think we played so well tonight overall, but uncharacteristically missed some shots throughout the second half and the zone got us a little bit,” Anderson said. “We scored more than enough points, but you can’t allow a team to get 86 … it was defence.
“In the end when you look at the score line, they got 25 of them from the free throw line, and that makes it really tough.”
While it was not a fitting end to a hard-fought season, Anderson was extremely pleased with her side’s tenacity throughout the year.
Seeing the side fight back from injuries and form slumps that almost threatened their shot at finals, Anderson thinks it will drive this group to greater successes in years to come.
“For us I’m just going to focus on the fact that I’m so, so proud of these girls and think not many gave us a chance this season,” Anderson said. “I think if we got over the line there anything was possible, the girls were just starting to find their mojo back and I’m just so proud of their whole effort.
“To make finals together in their first year is a great achievement – this will hurt, but I hope they take that into next season as I think these girls are going to do something special next season.”
SEQ faces the loser of Townsville versus Perth in next week’s WNBL preliminary final.
