The Molten WBBL Defensive Team of the Year –…

The league’s top defensive stoppers have been nominated by WBBL
Head Coaches to the Molten WBBL Defensive Team of the Year, including three
London Lions as they won a first WBBL Championship title and finished the year
as the league’s best overall defence.

Jo Leedham-Warner – London Lions

Decorated Great Britain international Jo Leedham-Warner has made
an illustrious career across Europe partly on the basis of her versatility and
defensive prowess, and she has been dominant in that regard in her first season
in the WBBL for a Lions team that conceded an average of just 54 points per
game. She led the league in steals with 3.4 per contest – a mark that she has
regularly been close to for the Great Britain team – as the Lions overall did
likewise with a massive 14 steals per game, more than two clear of any other
team, converting those into a league-high 25 points from turnovers, five clear
of any other team. She had a season-high of seven steals against Nottingham
Wildcats in March, and wasn’t far off a rare triple-double that day with 20 points
and 12 rebounds.

Shanice Beckford-Norton – London Lions

London’s 24-year-old captain, in her second season with the team,
made her senior debut for the Great Britain national side this year after
setting the tone for the league champions at the defensive end, renowned in
particular for her aggressive brand of on-ball defence having established a
reputation for her stopping abilities at the highest levels of college
basketball across the Atlantic at LSU. Showing continued development, she upped
her averages in most categories despite playing fewer minutes in a very deep
team, including two steals and four defensive rebounds per game from the guard
position, playing smart defence to average just one foul per contest. She had
three games with five steals or more, including six in a rout of Gloucester
City Queens where Lions scored an astonishing 46 points from turnovers.

Oceana Hamilton – Leicester Riders

Oceana Hamilton joined Leicester in the summer and the 6’4″
British-Canadian centre proved to be a dominant paint presence for one of just
four defences that held opponents under an average of 70 points per game.
Riders allowed their opposition to shoot just 39% on the interior, third best
in the league, as Hamilton ended the season as the WBBL’s top rim protector
with an average of two blocked shots per game. She had a season-high five
blocks in a win over Caledonia Pride in January, with 17 points and 11 rebounds
in that game, and was also one of just four players to average a double-double
on the season, second overall in rebounding with 12 per contest.

Azania Stewart – London Lions

Another centre who was the linchpin of a formidable defence was
Great Britain international Azania Stewart, as the treble-winning Lions allowed
their opponents to score on the inside at a rate of just 37%, second best in
the WBBL, in large part due to Stewart’s ability to command the paint and alter
shots. She was sixth in the league in blocked shots with more than one per
game, and two per game in London’s successful WBBL Cup run as she blocked three
shots against title contenders Sevenoaks Suns and then had 20 points, six
rebounds, two blocks and two steals on her way to winning MVP of the Cup Final
against Newcastle Eagles.

Taylor Edwards – Caledonia Pride

Caledonia Pride surged up the WBBL Championship table in the
second half of the season to finish in their highest ever position of sixth and
qualify for the Play-offs for just the second time, with American guard Taylor
Edwards proving to be a particularly dogged defender for a Pride team that
ended the campaign as the league’s best perimeter defence. She finished second
overall in steals with over three per game and averaged six defensive rebounds
per contest, just outside the top ten and among the best guards at just
5’8″, demonstrating her aggressive style by drawing the most fouls of any
player in the WBBL. In a victory over Newcastle Eagles at Vertu Motors Arena in
March, in front of a record crowd for a women’s league game, she had a
sensational triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 steals in what was
an iconic performance.