Manchester Giants are back up to fourth in the BBL Championship table after a double-winning week, resulting in big scorers Tajh Green and Dirk Williams leading the latest All-Star 5 after they made a combined 14 three-pointers in their significant midweek triumph.
Tajh Green – Manchester Giants
Fourth-placed Manchester Giants scored a big win over the second-placed Bristol Flyers at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Wednesday night, as Tajh Green led all scorers in a high-scoring game to make a fourth All-Star 5 appearance of the season. He poured in 32 points in 31 minutes while shooting an eye-watering 7-10 (70%) from three-point range, finishing with a double-double as he also hauled in 10 rebounds and handed out five assists, including eight points in the second stanza as Giants came from double-figures down to tie the game on his ‘and-one’ play, followed by a pair of triples early in the third as Giants scored 34 in that quarter to get in front for good.
Dirk Williams – Manchester Giants
Nearly matching his teammate’s performance in that contest as Giants scored 110 points, sharp-shooter Dirk Williams features in the All-Star 5 for the second time this campaign, but first since the opening weekend. He scored 31 points in the game on 7-12 (58%) shooting from long range, with four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block, including two threes in quick succession to haul Giants back into the game in the second and the same again during an 8-2 tear that broke open a one-shot game in that decisive third period.
Fahro Alihodzic – Caledonia Gladiators
Making his first All-Star 5 appearance after joining Caledonia Gladiators in mid-season, Fahro Alihodzic came up big on the road as the fifth-placed Gladiators recovered from behind to edge out Surrey Scorchers on the road on Saturday night. He finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, missing just once as he shot 7-8 (87%) from the field, while also handing out two assists. Trailing by double-figures in the first half, Alihodzic opened the second with an ‘and-one’ play and then scored two put-backs from his own offensive rebounds among seven points and six boards in the third as Caledonia turned it around in the second half.
Larry Austin Jr. – Cheshire Phoenix
Cheshire Phoenix bounced back from four straight BBL Championship defeats with a big road win at Plymouth City Patriots on Sunday, leading to captain Larry Austin Jr. making a fifth All-Star 5 showing of the season and moving him up to joint-second with Sam Dekker in overall appearances. It was an excellent two-way performance from the tough-nosed guard as Phoenix performed at both ends, Austin finishing with 17 points while drawing seven fouls and making 7-9 (77%) from the free-throw line, with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, including a steal and break away for an ‘and-one’ play that gave the Nix a double-figure lead in the third quarter.
Tevin Olison – Bristol Flyers
American guard Tevin Olison makes his first All-Star 5 appearance of the season after Bristol Flyers won the South West derby over Plymouth City Patriots at home on Friday night, maintaining their position in second place in the BBL Championship table. Olison scored 23 points on 4-6 (66%) three-point shooting, with four assists, four rebounds and a steal, including nine points in a row to cap a 20-2 surge to open the game as Flyers set the tone early and led from tip to buzzer, before two ‘and-one’ plays in the second stanza as the lead went through 30 before the break.
Off the bench: Javion Hamlet (Newcastle Eagles), VJ King (Bristol Flyers), Shakem Johnson (Surrey Scorchers), Aljami Durham (Caledonia Gladiators), Ryan Martin (Surrey Scorchers), Devearl Ramsey (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks), Jordan Ratinho (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks).