South Spotlight | Big Rangers win not quite enough

Featured image: @sarahprettycreative

The Dandenong Rangers put up 67 points in the first half to be leading by 30 by the break and went on to win 100-83 but it wasn’t quite enough to break into the NBL1 South top 10 as they knocked the Diamond Valley Eagles from third to seventh.

Coming into the last night of the regular season and it was a big game for both teams at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre with the Eagles needing a win to stay in the top four and the Rangers in a must-win situation to be any hope of making the top 10.

Dandenong still needed other results to go their way and had to not only win but to hope the Mount Gambier Pioneers lost on the road to the Frankston Blues at the same time to be any hope.

But the Rangers did bring impressive form into the match up having won five of their last seven including last week's 32-point win against the Casey Cavaliers.

>> ELLIS LIVING THE DREAM AND LIKES EAGLES CHANCES

>> SOUTH SPOTLIGHT | WILDCATS BEAT COBRAS TO STAY SECOND

>> SOUTH WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 14

Dandenong started on fire with a 9-0 run in the first quarter to be leading 30-21 already by quarter-time with 63 per cent shooting from the floor including 5/7 from the outside to 47 per cent and 2/9 from Diamond Valley.

It was then an even more blistering second quarter from the Rangers with 37 points to 16 on the back of scoring 13 consecutive points.

Dandenong shot 12/19 from the field for the quarter with 10/12 from the foul line to go into the half-time break leading 67-37 with Imogen Rock having 15 points, Adrianna Smith 15 and Manny Puoch 14.

Even though Diamond Valley did their best to fight back into the contest through the second half and did have 26 points to 16 in the third quarter and 20 to 17 in the fourth, the Rangers still cruised to the 17-point victory.

What the result means is that Dandenong end up with an 11-11 record but it's not enough to reach the playoffs after the Pioneers to beat the Frankston Blues to get to 12 wins and clinch that 10th position instead.

Diamond Valley still will play finals but it's a big result for them to finish at 14-8 and after starting the round in third position, they end up slipping all the way down to seventh.

Dandenong finished the night shooting 51 per cent from the field and 14/30 from the outside to the 41 per cent and 6/30 from Diamond Valley.

Manny Puoch delivered 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the big season-ending win for the Rangers with 5/9 shooting from the outside.

Adrianna Smith also had 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks while hitting all three long-range attempts with Imogen Rock adding 17 points, seven boards, seven assists and two steals.

It wasn’t quite the way the Eagles wanted to be entering the finals after last year's preliminary final appearance with Alex Sharp finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Erin Riley added 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Shannon Dufficy 12 points and nine boards, Abbey Ellis 12 points and four assists, and Isis Beh 10 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Despite the win, the Rangers just miss out on a top 10 finish but Diamond Valley finish seventh and now will be hosting the Ballarat Miners in an elimination final on Saturday night.

NBL1 SOUTH 2026 SEASON | ROUND 15

DIAMOND VALLEY EAGLES 83 (Sharp 17, Riley 15, Dufficy 12, Ellis 12)

DANDENONG RANGERS 100 (Puoch 23, Smith 22, Rock 17)