By Marcus Uhe
A disastrous final quarter in which Dandenong’s women missed their final 14 consecutive shots saw the Rangers cough-up a fourth quarter lead in its National Basketball League 1 South (NBL1) qualifying final on Saturday night.
Despite entering the final quarter with a slender three-point advantage, the Rangers ran out of gas in the final 10 minutes, outscored 17-5 in the last term as they let a golden opportunity to advance to the preliminary final round slip through their grasp in a 59-68 loss to Keilor.
A buzzer beater at the end of the first half from Manuela Puoch saw Dandenong enter the half trailing by just one point, thanks to a 10-1 to close the half, having sunk to as many as 10 points behind.
Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) champion with the Southside Flyers and Keilor guard, Maddison Rocci was making the Dandenong backcourt work, scoring from beyond the three-point line and acting as a high-class facilitator that Dandenong simply could not match.
The Rangers came alive in the third term, outscoring the Thunder 18-14 and carrying the momentum in the final quarter, scoring five of the first seven points.
It was Ashten Pretchel that led the charge for the Rangers during the third, nailing a pair of huge threes, two free throws, grabbing a rebound and and one assist in a 12-0 run that swung the match’s momentum to the visitors’ favour.
But like she had earlier in the game, it was Rocci’s turn to give the Rangers’ major headaches, saving her most critical moments for when her team needed it the most.
She assisted Lily Carmody with back-to-back fast break layups that saw the Thunder re-take the lead at 60-59, and from there the Thunder never looked back.
The score remained locked on a one-point Thunder lead for the next four minutes as the pressure tolled on both sides, before Carmody put the game out of reach with two minutes to play.
Layups either side of a Rangers’ time out, along with a steal and a defensive rebound pushed the lead to five, and as Dandenong continued to misfire, they were forced to foul their opponents and hope for the best in the dying stages.
Carmody and her teammate Penina Davidson were both up for the challenge, nailing a pair of free throws in the final minute to give the home side an unassailable lead.
Dandenong lost the rebound count by nine to the home side and three of the eight players that took the court in green and black failed to score, including forward Elly Morgan, who spent 28 minutes on the court.
Star forward Nyadiew Puoch was unavailable for the Rangers and left a major hole in the front court.
Pretchel and Imogen Rock each scored 18 to lead the Rangers in points, but Pretchel shot 6-18 from the field.
Rocci, however, was the best player on the court, falling one assist shy of a triple-double, with 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
The Rangers will welcome Waverley to Stud Road on Saturday in a cut-throat semi-final.
Dandenong recovered from a slow start against Waverley in April to power home with an eight-point win, 80-72
The news was better for Dandenong’s men, who stormed home with a 22-15 final quarter over Knox in an elimination final to advance to the semi final round on Saturday night.
A seesawing affair saw significant momentum swings but it was Dandenong who had the running when the contest was on the line, keeping its season alive on the back of an excellent shooting performance.
Dandenong shot 55 per cent from the field and 50 per cent from the three-point line, while its bench unit of Brandon Betson, Jack Roberts and James Roche each gave the home side a lift, outsourcing Knox’s reserves 38-4.
A trip to Ballarat to face the Miners on Saturday night is the Rangers’ next task.
Dandenong upset Ballarat on the road in their most recent meeting, 86-84.
