The Rangers out-played the Waves on every stat in their 48 point win over West Coast. They had two players record double-doubles in Kathleen Macleod with 12 points and 14 assists, and Krista Phillips with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Scoring was led by Jenna O’Hea with 23 and Steph Cumming 22, each with three threes.
Dandenong’s defence was unrelenting, allowing only Rohanee Cox and Samantha Norwood to reach double figures for the Waves.
A swish from outside the three-point line from O’Hea opened proceedings for the Rangers who immediately went to a nine-one lead.
Dandenong’s aggressive defence smothered the Waves keeping them to just seven points from the field and reliant on scoring from the stripe to keep in touch. Offensively Dandenong exploited the size mismatch with Phillips scoring eight points inside, taking the Rangers to 27-16 at quarter-time.
With a flurry of three-pointers Dandenong quickly took a 20-point lead in the second. Ten points from Cumming secured the Rangers’ lead while their defensive intensity held the Waves to just 10 points for the period to go into the half at 49-26.
The fired-up Rangers started the third quarter with a 15-4 run, breaking the back of any resistance the Waves could offer. With the lead out to 30-points coach Mark Wright enjoyed the luxury of resting his starters and allowing his bench to see some quality court-time.
The Rangers’ defensive intensity lifted, allowing the Waves to score only eight points for the quarter while still pushing the lead out to 39 points at three-quarter time.
The Rangers displayed superior poise and skill on offence, passing the ball around and looking for the good shots. When the gallant Rohanee Cox fouled out of the game with five minutes remaining, the game was all but over for the Waves. A half-court pass from O’Hea to Tegan Cunningham for an alley-oop brought the crowd to its feet as Dandenong ran out 101-53 victors.
Dandenong Rangers 101 (O'Hea 23, Cumming 22) defeated West Coast Waves 53 (Cox 13, Norwood 10)
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