By Roy Ward
NO excuses will be good enough for Dandenong Rangers women with coach Larissa Anderson demanding more from her undermanned side.
The Rangers picked up a 68-50 win over Frankston Blues at Dandenong Stadium on Thursday night, then had 74-54 win over Brisbane at Carina on Saturday night.
Anderson described the win over the Blues as “messy”, with the Rangers adjusting to the five-week absence of star guard Steph Cumming.
“It’s always a bit of an adjustment when we are without Steph because she gives you an automatic 20 points a game,” Anderson said.
“So we started badly and I had to drill into the girls at quarter time that it wasn’t good enough. You had to be here tonight to see the amount of open shots and lay-ups that we missed.
“The girls were blaming cold hands and all the other excuses but in the end we had to make those shots. No excuse is good enough.”
The Rangers shot just 37 per cent from the field and had an unusual 22 turnovers counteracted by 21 from the youthful Blues side.
Experienced starters Clare Papavs (19 points), Hope Terdich (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Amelia Todhunter (14 points) led the way against the Blues as the Rangers dominated the glass 45-35.
Anderson said the Rangers’ pressure defence helped them take control of the game in the second quarter. “Our pressure defence is our trademark,” Anderson said. “It was pretty good tonight and got us some baskets.”
Rangers guard Aimie Clydesdale scored 14 points against Brisbane.
The Rangers host Albury-Wodonga at Dandenong Stadium this Saturday at 5.30pm.
■ Dandenong Rangers WNBL centre Krista Phillips is expected to become the third Rangers player to play at the London Olympics after Canada qualified for the Games last week.
Phillips was a key player in the Rangers’ WNBL title this past season and played in Canada’s team, which earned one of the final places at the Games. She joins Rangers teammates Jenna O’Hea and Kath Macleod, who will both represent Australia in London.
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