By ROY WARD
DANDENONG Rangers men have a few problems to solve but coach Darren Perry remains confident his side can find the answers.
The Rangers split their Anzac weekend road double, thrashing an undermanned Frankston Blues side 93-61 on Thursday night, then losing 77-73 to Kilsyth Cobras at Dandenong Stadium on Saturday night.
Against the Cobras, the Rangers fell behind by as much as 15 points during the third term but fought back in the final quarter through Brent Hobba (12 points, nine rebounds) and Daequon Montreal (26 points, seven rebounds) to get within two points with just seconds left.
A turnover from Rangers point guard Andrew Harms which was then regained by Rangers import Tony Lewis gave the home side a chance to force overtime but Lewis’ shot following his steal missed, with Cobras star EJ Kusnyer (25 points) making two late free throws to seal the win.
Perry said his team was struggling to win matches at home and to topple taller sides.
Last season the Rangers were almost undefeated at home and won a number of tight matches, which leaves Perry thinking a reversal in home form is just around the corner.
“In the end we had the letdown of falling behind by double figures,” he said.
“So if we had ended up losing by 20 points-plus then I would think we had problems.
“But we found a group who really dug in defensively, it let us push back into the match and we even had a chance to get ahead but we couldn’t make it happen. We didn’t execute when we needed to.”
The Rangers continue to play without athletic forward Owen Odigie, who is recovering from a serious mouth and tooth injury which could see him miss three or four more weeks, while Lucas Barker is still at his US college.
“We hope to get our full side on the floor in the next two to four weeks,” Perry said. “It’s one of those situations where regular guys are out and other guys have an opportunity to show what they can do.
“Hopefully next match we can regain some form and get back onto the winners list.”
The Rangers men host Brisbane Spartans at Dandenong Stadium this Sunday at 2pm.
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