SECOND SEMI-FINAL (Game One)
Dandenong Rangers 52 dft Waverley Falcons 47
IT WAS a confident Dandenong outfit which took to the floor on Saturday night keen to continue their hold over Waverley after collecting a 3-0 record during the regular season.
But it was not an easy task as Waverley made the most of their home-court advantage.
A neck-and-neck game played out, with no more than eight points separating the pair.
Nine times the game was all tied up, with the lead changing 16 times before a winner was crowned.
It wasn’t until the final quarter that Dandenong split hairs.
The visitors were able to gain some momentum in the final quarter to edge ahead of their competitor and take a narrow five-point victory.
Dandenong held the Falcons’ Kathleen MacLeod to a quiet game by her standards, with the Waverley stalwart collecting just 15 points.
Larissa Anderson was stellar for Waverley hitting a game-high 19 points and gathering eight boards, with Lill Keen having an impact under the ring to pull-in six boards whilst slotting in four points and giving off three dimes.
For the Rangers, it was Faith Probst who did the damage, hitting 15 points and pulling-in a credible 11 rebounds with swift hands bagging five steals.
She was supported well by Melissa Colcott who proved herself with 10 points and eight boards, whilst Demelza Waixel contributed well with eight boards and five points.
The deciding factor in this match-up was the Rangers’ execution, striking at a rate of 38 per cent from the field compared to the Falcons’ 25 per cent.
Dandenong and Waverley will battle it out again next week, this time on Rangers’ turf, with the Falcons desperate to produce a win in order to push the series to three games.
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