Melbourne Boomers could be without import point guard Brittany Smart for their Australia Day Eve clash with Dandenong Rangers at the State Basketball Centre on Wednesday night.
The two clubs are hoping to lure a season's best crowd for the game after drawing the WNBL's biggest crowd of 2490 last season to their inaugural meeting.
![Melbourne Boomers could be without Brittany Smart (right) for the Australia Day Eve clash with Dandenong Rangers.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180112141807im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/8/p/j/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtxuix.png/1514701234110.jpg)
But Smart's appearance is unlikely after she was forced from the court just nine minutes into Sunday's loss to Perth Lynx after visiting centre Ruth Hamblin fell on her ankle.
Boomers coach Guy Molloy said his team's "injury curse" was continuing to hit despite them being out of finals contention with Smart looking unlikely to play.
![Boomer Brittany Smart (left) injured an ankle against Perth.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180112141807im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/l/j/g/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtxuix.png/1485239185379.jpg)
"Brittany's not good, she's certainly going to be in doubt and is having ongoing medical evaluations at the moment," Molloy said on Tuesday.
"So we are not that confident right now, basically all of Ruth Hamblin's frame fell on top of her and crunched her ankle."
But Molloy remains confident his players will fight out the season and perhaps cause some upsets starting with the league leading Rangers who need more wins to secure a top-two finish.
"Clearly when you are coaching a team out of playoff contention you are finding other reasons to play," Molloy said.
"I think our resilience has been good, we have practiced well and while we are undersized we are finding ways for our small ball lineup to work well.
"I'm impressed with our camaraderie, our endeavour and our work ethic - I've seen teams imploded with far better records than ours but we haven't done that.
"No matter where or when, when it's Boomers v Rangers, it's game on."
The Rangers have won both clashes this season but needed overtime to claim their first meeting at the State Basketball Centre earlier in the campaign.
With the Eltham-Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament starting around Melbourne on Thursday, the Boomers have announced any junior player who wears their team's singlet to the game will get free entry but they have urged parents to pre-purchase their tickets to avoid disappointment.
Melbourne Boomers play Dandenong Rangers at the State Basketball Centre on Wednesday night at 7.30pm.
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