Classy Hobart in full control

THE final margin didn’t do Hobart justice after its domination of Dandenong last night and the failure to drive the advantage home could be telling in a tight SEABL season.

The Chargers defeated the Rangers 97-87 to join Ballarat in third spot on the ladder, using a 13-0 run to start the last quarter to blow the contest apart. But, after leading by as many as 25 points midway through the last period, Hobart squandered an opportunity to inflict some psychological damage on the visitors ahead of their meeting again in a fortnight’s time.

Coach Anthony Stewart benched his starters to give his young troops some court time and the Rangers used the opportunity to whittle the deficit down by the final buzzer.

While happy to bag the win — and see vital cog Mathiang Muo emerge unscathed on his return from a long lay-off with a calf injury — Stewart was left bemoaning the lack of a killer blow, knowing all too well the importance of head-to-head records and percentage.

“We have been hurt the last two years with head-to-head results at the end of the season,” Stewart said. “We have to go to Dandenong now and anything could happen. That could have been worth two wins for us. But a win is a win and we will take it, but we have to make sure we get these next five games and sneak into the top two.

“To have Muo coming back, he only played 12-13 minutes but to have that scorer who can knock down 20 points at any stage, if we want to win a championship we are going to need him.”

Tre Nichols was the spark in the last stanza on his way to a game-high 29 points, Zac White had 21 on a perfect 9-9 from the floor while Craig Moller flirted with a tripledouble with 17 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. THE Boomers were defeated 79-78 by Japan in Tokyo last night in a FIBA World Cup qualifier.