By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong’s men’s NBL1 losing season has continued following another unsuccessful showing against Geelong on Saturday night.
After a hotly-contested opening half, the Rangers were outscored 35-49 in the second to lose by 16 in Geelong, 73-89.
A flying block from Jack Roberts, who had found himself out of bounds and seemingly out of the play just seconds earlier, signalled Dandenong’s intentions early in the contest, as did a step-back three from Deng Puoch in the opening minutes of the game.
The contest was played at a fast pace, with both teams looking to attack the rim in transition before opposition defences could be set.
A costly final two minutes of the quarter saw Dandenong relinquish a five-point lead, but still doing enough to lead by one at the first break.
Geelong began using a zone defence in the second quarter in an attempt to slow the Rangers’ charge, who raced to a 10-point lead midway through the term, having drawn a number of fouls and nailing the resulting free-throws.
But critical turnovers and a lift in defensive intensity from the home team saw them grasp the momentum, and lead by two at the long break.
Geelong emerged from the half with a lift in its passing, cutting and fighting on the glass, and pulled-away from the visitors late in the term.
Dandenong was unable to score for a three-minute period in which the home side scored eight of their own, resulting in a 14-point lead late in the quarter.
Its rebounding tenacity allowed them to get out and run on both ends of the court.
A fightback to begin the final quarter breathed life into the contest as the Rangers looked to bring a win back up the highway.
In scoring the last five points of the third and the first four of the last, Dandenong cut the lead to just five and were making all the running.
But as quickly as they recovered ground, it was soon relinquished as Geelong restored the 14-point lead by the six-minute mark.
Led by Mike Amius’ 20, the Rangers had just three players score in double figures and were outrebounded by 14.
A double-header next weekend sees them host Frankston on Saturday night and head to Ringwood on Sunday.
