FRESH off a campaign with the Australian Gems, Manuela Puoch delivered another standout performance, this time in the NBL1 South Women’s as her Dandenong Rangers fell to the Diamond Valley Eagles.

It was an unfortunate straight-sets exit for the Rangers, who were bested by the Knox Raiders in the qualifying final the previous week, forced then to match up against the Eagles in the semi finals. Diamond Valley was fresh off an elimination final triumph over the Frankston Blues on the road, so certainly had some momentum coming into the second week of the postseason.

The visitors brought that momentum into the clash, and were strong in the second and third quarters particularly, building a double-digit lead and putting plenty of pressure back onto the Rangers at Dandenong Basketball Stadium. Although the hosts tried to mount a comeback in the final period, they did not pull off the miracle, as the Eagles moved onto the preliminary finals.

The result may have been far from ideal, but Puoch was still one of the shining lights for the Rangers, showcasing just how bright her future is as a player and that she can already hold her own against fully developed opponents.

Dandenong Rangers (73) def. by Diamond Valley Eagles (82)

Manuela Puoch – 17 points, four rebounds

The 18-year-old talent was excellent in defeat for the Rangers, showing her ability to impact the game on the offensive end and often combining with teammate and elder sister Nyadiew Puoch to make something happen.

It was a scrappy start for Puoch and the Rangers overall, with the young gun missing three shots and committing a turnover to start the game in quiet fashion. Just when it looked as if she was going to have a scoreless first quarter, the youngster nailed her first shot of the match in the form of a long range triple, which was a timely make as it kept her side within one point at the first change.

Much like the first quarter, Puoch struggled with her efficiency to start the second frame, but after a short stint on the bench, worked her way into the game as the period rolled on. She nailed her first basket of the quarter with a nice driving layup to tie up proceedings, but she and the Rangers struggled to keep that offensive rhythm rolling, trailing by five points at the main break.

The young gun had a better start to the second half, nailing a midrange jumper to open her account for the third quarter and get the margin back to within three points. After a stretch of play where her offence went cold, Puoch chimed on for another driving layup, before backing it up a minute later with a nice tip-in, following up her own miss, but Dandenong looked in strife as the margin sat at 15 points at the final change.

Puoch spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench, before subbing back into the game late in the piece with the Rangers looking to make one final charge. Her eye from long-range finally kicked in as she nailed two three-pointers in the space of a 90 seconds to cut the margin back down to eight points to give her side a chance. Unfortunately, time ran out as she and Dandenong found themselves eliminated as the Eagles advanced.

Puoch finished the contest with 17 points and four rebounds, shooting 7/17 from the field and 3/9 from behind the arc to be one of the most productive players for the Rangers. Although her efficiency wavered at times, it was still an extremely promising performance that showed just how much heavy lifting she can do on the offensive end.