All-Star 5 – Week 15 – Women’s British Basketball…

A dynamic trio of Great Britain international guards lead the latest All-Star 5, with the top two of those coming from the London Lions as the reigning champions made it 50 straight wins, joined by a pair from Leicester Riders who are trying to chase them down in the WBBL Championship before the teams clash in this Sunday’s WBBL Cup Final at Utilita Arena, Birmingham, live on Sky Sports.

Shanice Beckford-Norton – London Lions
Lions improved to 9-0 atop the WBBL Championship table with a big road win over Newcastle Eagles at Vertu Motors Arena, with captain and Great Britain international Shanice Beckford-Norton putting in a huge performance off the bench to make the All-Star 5 for the first time this season. In a little over 18 minutes she poured in 25 points on 8-12 (66%) shooting and 4-6 (66%) from three-point range, along with eight rebounds and two steals, including six points and three boards in under three minutes to end a dominant 38-6 first quarter.

Holly Winterburn – London Lions
A teammate of Beckford-Norton for both Lions and Great Britain, Holly Winterburn matched that shooting performance to make her second All-Star 5 showing in the last four weeks. Her 8-12 (66%) from the field included a perfect 5-5 inside and resulted in 19 points, while she also handed out nine assists, with five rebounds and three steals, and her effort included three assists as she pulled the strings in that dominant first quarter before scoring 11 points inside the last five minutes of the second stanza.

Hannah Robb – Leicester Riders
Another established WBBL star who has represented Great Britain, Hannah Robb makes her first All-Star 5 appearance of the season as Riders made it six straight league wins with a critical victory over third-placed Sheffield Hatters. The Scottish guard had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and a block, while shooting 4-6 (66%) from the three-point line including a pair of triples in the opening three minutes as Riders raced into a 12-0 lead and never looked back.

Ashley Arlen – Leicester Riders
Leicester’s captain Ashley Arlen was another big performer in that game, leading to a third All-Star 5 showing of the season but her first for eight weeks. She scored 22 points on 8-13 (61%) shooting and also grabbed nine rebounds, scoring the opening three-pointer to set the tone for that early run, followed by 10 points in the first three minutes of the second stanza as Riders opened that period 12-3 and established a huge lead by half time against their near rivals.

Araion Bradshaw – Sevenoaks Suns
American guard Araion Bradshaw moves clear in second for overall appearances with this being her fourth of the season and second in a row as Sevenoaks Suns continued their resurgence with a fifth straight league win on the road at Manchester Met Mystics, up to fourth on a 7- 3 record. She did a bit of everything at both ends of the floor, finishing with 21 points, six steals, five rebounds and four assists, with three steals in the second quarter to up the intensity and overturn an early deficit followed by eight points in a row, among 14 she scored in the third quarter, as Suns established a lead of more than 20 points.

Off the bench: Karly Murphy (Sheffield Hatters), Abbie Wolf (Caledonia Gladiators), Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby (Durham Palatinates), Samantha Keltos (Manchester Met Mystics), Mari Stewart (Nottingham Wildcats), Katie Nolan (Newcastle Eagles), Kayla Shaw (Nottingham Wildcats).