WNBL Review - Round Five

Big road wins by championship favourites Dandenong and Bulleen highlighted Round 5 of the Price Attack Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) over the weekend to leave both teams sailing clear of the ever tightening pack behind.

On Friday night at Wayville reigning back-to-back title holders the Dandenong Rangers took the best shots the Adelaide Fellas could dish up for the first three quarters. Almost inevitably however, they produced a dominant performance (27-16 last quarter) when it mattered most to take the sweep past their nervous hosts and win 81-73.

In maintaining their unbeaten run in 2005/06 season, it was irrepressible forward Jacinta Hamilton (26 points and 9 rebounds) who led a remarkably balanced roster of contributors for the Rangers. Jennifer Screen (23 points on 9 of 18 shooting) was the shining light for an Adelaide side which dominated the rebounding (49-35) but wasn’t able to match the Rangers accuracy from the field.

Friday’s other contest was a critical road trip to Townsville for the Sydney Uni Flames. Fresh from seemingly putting their season back on track the previous week against the Canberra Capitals, the Flames started brightly enough in what was their second trip to the far north for the 2005/06 season.

Amazingly though, a manageable half time deficit (49-38 in favour of the SEA FM Townsville Fire) soon ballooned into the realms of a rout, as the jubilant crowd at Sea FM Stadium rejoiced in a stunning 32-11 third quarter explosion by their Fire. The rest was purely academic as Townsville coasted home for a dominant 93-64 victory.

Point dynamo Rachael Flanagan and comeback player of the year candidate Rohanee Cox both had perfect five for five shooting returns in the decisive period to headline six Fire players in double figures. Outstanding amongst those was centre Jennifer Crouse, who finished with 14 points on four of seven shooting, 19 rebounds and three blocks.

Flames captain Trisha Fallon and Belinda Snell each had 16 for Sydney Uni as part of the loss, which sends last year’s Grand Finalists tumbling to seventh spot on the Price Attack WNBL standings. Townsville Fire Coach David Herbert was understandably delighted with his side’s efforts and sent a warning to the League that the Fire’s running game was only going to get better.

The Canberra Capitals welcomed star WNBA recruit Alana Beard to their team for Saturday night’s clash with the Bulleen Melbourne Boomers at the AIS Arena. Beard came out running too, piling on 18 first half points of her own to keep the Capitals in range (trailing 31-40) of the Katrina Hibbert led Boomers at the main break.

The visitors from Victoria had taken note however and put the clamps on Beard in the second half whilst taking maximum advantage of the 25 turnovers spilling freely from the Capitals offence to take the match 69-60.

Hibbert finished with a game high 20 points at a 66% clip to dominate the contest in tandem with her team’s young frontcourt star Hollie Grima (15 points and 11 rebounds). Beard’s 22 point effort gave promise of better things ahead when she finds her feet, but scoring support was hard to come by with Kellie Abrams and Eleanor Sharp the next best with nine points apiece for Canberra.

Given the sparkling start to the season by the Perth Lynx and the rigours of the western road trip for the Dandenong Rangers, Sunday’s game at Eaton Recreation Centre looked like a danger outing for the visiting Champions.

Almost sensing this though, Coach Garry Fox’s Rangers upped the ante to leave the Lynx breathless as they swept them aside 103-51. The Rangers were led superbly by their tall brigade and in particular the vastly improved Emma Randall who along with Carly Wilson led all scorers with 26 points but also vacuumed an incredible 25 boards in a stand out display.

Jacinta Hamilton chipped in with 20 points for the visitors, with Deanna Smith leading the way yet again with 19 points for a struggling Lynx line-up which never really managed to match the intensity of the visitors. No other Lynx player was able to provide more than seven points with week four Player of the Week, Jasmine Finnigan completely blanketed by the Rangers trademark pressure defence.

Sunday’s final match of Round Five saw Adelaide play the second match of their weekend against the AIS. Ultimately, despite another typically wholehearted performance from the Institute youngsters, Adelaide had their way to finish their weekend with a resounding 107-55 win.

Laura Summerton (31 Points) and Cherie Smith (19 points) scored almost at will against their inexperienced frontcourt opponents to put the result beyond doubt by the half (55-28 in favour of Adelaide). The Institute’s lack of experience left them painfully vulnerable in defence throughout the contest, especially on second chance baskets where Adelaide were able to find players alone under the basket more times than the AIS will care to remember. The best for the AIS youngsters were forwards Rebecca Schatz and Mikaela Dombkins.

Dandenong has now assumed its familiar place at the head of the League with a perfect 5-0 record, just ahead of Victorian rivals Bulleen (5-1). Canberra’s home loss sees them slip to third ahead of the Perth Lynx. Townsville’s big win over Sydney Uni has them poised dangerously just outside the playoff positions in fifth.

In an indication of the evenness of the competition, Adelaide and Sydney are now amazingly some way adrift from their familiar top four surroundings, with the AIS’s young roster rounding out the ladder in eighth.

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