By ROY WARD
DANDENONG Rangers added high-priced side Bendigo Braves to their list of SEABL scalps on Saturday night.
The Rangers men won 85-73 against the ill-disciplined and ill-tempered Braves to take their fifth straight win and their second in as many nights after besting Albury-Wodonga 89-82 in Albury on Friday night.
After the Braves took a 32-31 lead from a three-point play by Deilvez Yearby (25 points, 13 rebounds) early in the second term, the home side made its move stringing several baskets together.
With Braves point guard Daniel Horton (14 points, seven assists) on the bench with three fouls, understudy Warren Randall received an unsportsmanlike foul for heavily bumping Calvin Enge, who made both free-throws. Then Andrew Harms (16 points, six rebounds, seven assists) added a lay-up as the Rangers took a 49-40 half-time lead.
In the third term the Braves struggled on the boards, which allowed the Rangers to score consistently as two Venky Jois lay-ups helped the Rangers to a 71-56 three-quarter-time lead.
The Braves were expected to storm back in the last period but that charge never came as Harms made some key baskets down the stretch to assure his side of a key win.
Tony Lewis (20 points, 11 rebounds) also provided important points. The Rangers won the rebound count 48-38.
Harms said the Rangers were showing the benefits of spending time together. “We are starting to gel as a team and it’s showing in our results,” he said. “When we are getting four and five players scoring, then we look good, we are starting to come together.”
Harms praised his teammates for their persistence and energy late in the game. “We didn’t look like tiring,” he said. “They were always going to come at us so we just had to lock down on defence, which we did.”
The Rangers women had a comfortable win over Bendigo 68-56 earlier in the night to also claim two wins from the weekend. The Rangers women thrashed Albury-Wodonga 113-38 on Friday night with all but one Rangers player scoring in double figures.
