The penultimate week of the regular season saw the BBL teams scrapping for post-season positioning, with the ninth-placed Newcastle Eagles still in the hunt and having a pair of representatives in the latest All-Star 5, alongside arguably the performance of the season from Larry Austin Jr., and the league’s leader in overall appearances.
Larry Austin Jr. – Cheshire Phoenix
In midweek action on Wednesday night Larry Austin Jr. became just the third player this season to record a triple-double as Cheshire beat Surrey Scorchers, leading to his sixth All-Star 5 showing of the season, joint-second among all players. The captain led from the front for the short-handed Nix and did a bit of everything to produce an outstanding stat line of 25 points on 10-14 (71%) shooting, with 13 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals, including eight points and four assists as the hosts poured in 34 second stanza points to take a double-digit lead at half time.
Justin Gordon – Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle have sent the chase for the final Play-off spot into the last weekend of the season after beating northernmost rivals Caledonia Gladiators at Vertu Motors Arena live on Sky Sports, leading to a first All-Star 5 appearance for star forward Justin Gordon. He scored 32 points and knocked down all three of his three-point attempts, adding four rebounds and three assists, including eight points in three and a half minutes as Eagles came from behind to win the fourth quarter by a massive 32-14, taking a two-shot lead that they wouldn’t relinquish inside the last five minutes on Gordon’s key triple.
Jeremiah Bailey – Caledonia Gladiators
Gladiators bounced back at home on Sunday, securing a top four finish in the BBL Championship by beating Surrey Scorchers at Emirates Arena, with Jeremiah Bailey becoming the first player to reach 10 All-Star 5 appearances for the season. He posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 9-10 (90%) on the inside, with five assists and two blocks, as he had 10 points, six boards and three assists in the opening 15 minutes as Gladiators took a double-digit lead and were in front from tip-to-buzzer.
Javion Hamlet – Newcastle Eagles
The other star of Friday night’s Sky Sports game was the league’s leading scorer, Javion Hamlet, as he gains weekly honours for the third time this season, but first for 15 weeks. The American guard scored 25 points on 3-6 (50%) three-point shooting and a perfect 6-6 at the line, along with six assists and six rebounds, with seven points in the decisive fourth quarter including an early triple in a burst of 11 straight points that put the Eagles in front for the first time since the opening period.
Patrick Whelan – Leicester Riders
Great Britain international guard Patrick Whelan makes his fifth All-Star 5 appearance, joint-fourth among all players, after Leicester won twice over the weekend to put themselves in the driving seat for second place in the BBL Championship. In Friday’s defeat of Plymouth City Patriots at the Morningside Arena, he scored 22 points on 8-11 (72%) shooting from the field and 5-7 (71%) from three-point range, adding six rebounds and two assists, including a pair of threes in the opening minutes as Riders led throughout, followed by six points in two minutes among 33 scored in the second quarter.
Off the bench: Rashad Hassan (Plymouth City Patriots), Aljami Durham (Caledonia Gladiators), Amorie Archibald (Cheshire Phoenix), Thomas Bell III (Bristol Flyers), Aaron Best (London Lions), Malcolm Delpeche (Bristol Flyers), Bennett Koch (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks).
