By ROY WARD
DANDENONG Rangers have not given up hope of suiting up import centre Krista Phillips for their road-trip this weekend.
The Canadian Olympian went down with a knee injury in the Rangers’ win over Townsville Fire on Friday night and didn’t suit up when her side lost 82-80 to Bendigo Spirit in Bendigo on Saturday night.
Rangers coach Mark Wright said Phillips would undergo tests on her knee when the swelling went down but early indications were she had not suffered any serious damage.
“She is in a brace and doing everything she can to get the swelling down,” he said. “The physio didn’t feel anything loose around the knee when Krista was first checked out. We are keeping our fingers crossed.”
Wright said he would not rule out taking Phillips on the Rangers’ road trip to play Logan Thunder on Friday night and Townsville Fire on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m being a bit conservative but I’m not going to say no or say yes [to Phillips playing this weekend]. If the swelling is down and she is fine then she will play and, from what I saw against Bendigo, if she can’t play we will be fine. That’s the beauty of having depth in your side.”
The Rangers have a 3-2 win-loss record this season but Wright remains upbeat about his side’s chances this season and is relishing the chance to play a super-athletic lineup against the Spirit.
Forwards Alison Downie and Tegan Cunningham fill the post positions and Kath Macleod, Steph Cumming and Jenna O’Hea are in the guard spots. Teenage forward Carley Mijovic and Sara Blicavs also get more minutes if Phillips is out of the side.
In the loss to the Spirit, Macleod (21 points), Blicavs (13 points), Cumming (12 points), Mijovic (11 points) and Downie (10 points) all scored in double figures.
“We are not in it to be October champions; we want to be there at the finish,” Wright said. “I enjoyed the way we played and the intensity we played at.
“It’s not easy for teams to play against and it’s a look we want to put out there on occasions. It’s a spectacular style and good for spectators. If nothing else, we will put on a show.”
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