By ROY WARD
DANDENONG Rangers women warmed up for their first clash of the season against arch-rivals Knox Raiders with a win over Geelong Supercats at Dandenong Stadium on Saturday night.
The Rangers had to fight it out to the end but managed a 69-60 win to stay unbeaten after three rounds of the South East Australian Basketball League season.
The Rangers now face the Raiders at the State Basketball Centre this Saturday night with the two clubs resuming their rivalry, which has had them have several close play-off battles in past seasons.
Rangers coach Paul Flynn said his side had made steady improvement in the opening rounds but still had work to do.
“We made a big step up from our round 1 performance and from where we have been at practice. But we have still got to build some consistency and also have to get consistently better each week.”
Flynn said the Rangers defence and variety of scorers proved the difference against a pesky opponent. Clare Papavs had 13 points to lead the Rangers, Lauren Scherf added 12 and Aimie Clydesdale and Amelia Todhunter scored 10 points each.
“The two sides were a bit different from those that played in the conference grand final last year but there was still a lot of passion on the floor,” Flynn said. “Up to the last couple of minutes the game it was still there to be won and our girls stepped up and got some big defensive stops and that really turned the game on its head for us.
“Defence was the key. We held them to nine points in the third quarter but we have got to make a better effort at that across the four quarters.” Sara Blicavs and Candice Rogers both scored 17 points for the Supercats.
The Rangers women play the Raiders at the State Basketball Centre at 6pm this Saturday night, then host Canberra Capitals Academy at Dandenong Stadium at noon this Sunday.
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