Dandenong Rangers (WNBL)
23/01/2015
Paulo Kennedy's view from Downunder
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Spirit and spice, and Rangers playing nice

MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - Great rivalries have spice, and whether it's on the court or in the post-game media chats, the Bendigo Spirit v Dandenong Rangers match-up has it in spades.

The Spirit have dominated, winning 12 straight games… until last Friday, when behind a swarming defensive effort and blistering running game the Rangers produced a tough 89-82 win in front of a big, loud home crowd.

While the on-court action was fantastic, the comments of the coaches Mark Wright and Bernie Harrower showed this rivalry isn't likely to simmer down anytime soon.

"I know Mark has had a whinge before about us being too physical with them," Bendigo boss Harrower said after the game. "The shoe was on the other foot today."

Wright in return was concerned for Harrower's future in journalism.

"I don't know what Bernie's going to talk about now. Now that the hoodoo's gone he'll have to think of something else," he said.

"I wouldn't have known all that unless Bernie put it in the paper every week."

Rest assured there will be no love lost when these teams meet once again in the playoffs.

But there is also respect among such fierce rivals, Wright calling the win on the 13th try "a King Kong off my back".

"It's a long streak against a very good team," he said.

"We've had very good teams too, so it's been frustrating because we've been in a position to win quite often."

When Spirit import Kelsey Griffin took over the game in the second half, she powered her team from a 14-point deficit to get within four in the dying minutes. Wright had that sinking feeling once more.

"Griffin nearly did it again when she went on a rampage, she's incredible," he said, labelling the tough power forward "the catalyst" for Bendigo's long winning streak.

"I'll just remind everyone that thing didn’t start until Griffin turned up."

But referee Chris Clark made an inconceivable charge call to foul Griffin out of the game, and Dandenong's stars made big plays, much to the delight of their boss.

"That's not a coach, the coach doesn't do that, that's just great players," he said.

"Penny Taylor and Kathleen MacLeod and Cappie Pondexter know how to make big shots in big games."

Dandenong's win completed a remarkable double - beating first place Townsville on the road and then the second-place Spirit six days later - for a team that at one stage was 2-6 and in equal-last position.

With Taylor and Pondexter leading the way, ably supported by MacLeod and future Opal Alice Kunek, the Rangers don't lack for firepower.

But where their season has turned around has been a buy-in to a system that covers a severe lack of size at the defensive end.

"People's effort levels are through the roof," Wright said.

"They understand what's going on, they understand we can't win unless we play with that sort of effort and they're putting it out there every day.

"I urge them to do it but I'm impressed when they do it because it's tough. It's tough to continually back up against tough team after tough team with the physicality that's involved and still get it done and come up with big shots.

"We've taken on a particular identity and the players are happy to run with it."

Where Dandenong are finding their defensive identity, according to Harrower the Spirit have misplaced theirs.

"The attitude to defence is where we've been so good for so long, we've been able to shut teams down over games," he said.

"Right now we're bleeding points at different times."

Bendigo have been stung by the retirement of Kristi Harrower, and her father called on the team's senior players to step up and fill that leadership breach.

"They've got to be more vocal on the court, and in huddles talk about where the breakdowns are coming from because I don’t have 25 time-outs, I can't keep calling my time-outs every time something goes wrong," he said.

"In the past I've had Kristi on the floor and she would just make those changes."

In the past two seasons ultra-talented Dandenong line-ups have fallen well short in the playoffs, losing to Bendigo and then Townsville both years to exit in straight sets.

But there appears to be something different about this Rangers team, their defensive unselfishness carrying over to the scoring end.

"It's hard sometimes to accept you're not the star, that you need workers and you need stars, you need the whole lot and I think over the years we probably haven't had that right," Wright said.

"It's amazing that with our small team it's somehow worked itself out, and you can only thank Penny and Cappie and Kath because they've really educated these players about what they have to do to get a shot.

"They've educated them about how you play with a small team and they've found their roles."

That stunning offensive cohesion was a wake-up call for Harrower and the Spirit as the playoffs approach.

"Today we were ball watching and giving up lay-ups," he said.

"That was the part that was killing me defensively, we've got people cutting behind people and they don't even know they've cut, that's unacceptable at this level, that's kids' stuff.

"We've a hell of a lot of work to do if we want a three-peat because right now, at the level we're playing at, we can't win the championship."

But his thoughts on the Rangers left little doubt how impressed he was with his opponent’s showing.

"They've got two of the best players in the world playing for them and they're going to be tough," he said. 

"If they keep playing that way, look out everybody else."

Wright isn't getting too far ahead of himself, however, and his message about Bendigo is simple and clear.

"That team can still win the championship," he said without hesitation.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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Paulo Kennedy

Paulo Kennedy

Paulo has joined our team of columnists with a weekly column called 'The View from Downunder', where he looks at pertinent issues in the world of basketball from an Oceania perspective, perhaps different to the predominant points of view from columnists in North America and Europe.