NORMALLY a team placed eighth on the Women's National Basketball League ladder doesn't attract that much attention, except if that team is the Dandenong Rangers.
Following its worst start in recent history, and a dire prediction by new coach Dean Kinsman that the Rangers faced a disastrous season, the former league powerhouse sent jitters through the competition after trouncing Perth 112-66 in Saturday night's Community Round for its third consecutive win.
Dandenong looked a contender for the wooden spoon with just one win from eight games, but has got its season back on track with victories over Perth (twice) and Townsville.
Saturday night's win edges the Rangers closer to the top half of the ladder ahead of a showdown with rival and the competition's top team Bulleen on Saturday.
A win against the Boomers will not only mark an amazing turnaround for the Rangers, but will also throw them into the mix as a genuine contender for the crown.
Having said that, the gap between Bulleen and Perth is more like a gorge. Perth's performance against the Rangers on Saturday night was far from what's expected at this level.
Dandenong's up-tempo defence and red-hot shooting quickly paid dividends. A seven-point lead at quarter-time ballooned out to 22 points by the long break. By the last change the gap widened to 34 points and provided the Rangers with an opportunity to run its bench, providing all 12 players with court-time.
The mounting pressure on the visitors led to Dandenong forcing 22 turnovers and scoring an additional 15 points from Perth's mistakes, while an overall 60 per cent shooting rate by the Rangers kept the fans cheering. Stephanie Cumming finished with 17 points, as did Ashley Lindsey, while Nicole Hunt (15 points), Antonia Edmondson (12 points), Casey Nash (12 points) and Caitlin Ryan (11 points) all chimed in with good performances.
Representatives from basketball in Drouin, the Pilbura Region in WA, and volunteers from local domestic clubs were guests of the DBA and were recognised for their efforts as part of the WNBL's Community Round on the weekend.
DBA general manager Graeme Allen said the community round highlighted the "valuable partnership" between basketball, its volunteers and the community.
"The National Basketball League and the Women's National Basketball League is the pinnacle of basketball in Australia and is linked to the grassroots level of the sport by the more than 600,000 people playing the game.
"The Community Round recognises the links that exist between our elite players and the community. The NBL and WNBL undertake a substantial amount of community engagement and this round is about acknowledging those efforts."
* The talents of Australian Opals star Lauren Jackson, considered the best female player in the world, will be on display at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium next month. Barring injury, Jackson will play for the Canberra Capitals against the Dandenong Jayco Rangers in the first game of the new year on Saturday, January, 16.
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