There are four debuts in
an All-Star 5 dominated by forwards this week, led by Josh Sharma as one of a
pair of London Lions after they climbed back to the summit of the BBL
Championship table, while Jeremiah Bailey joins the group at the top of the
overall appearances chart.
Josh Sharma – London
Lions
London Lions went back
to the top of the table after a dominant win over Manchester Giants at the
Copper Box Arena in midweek, behind a season-best performance from British big
Josh Sharma as he makes his first All-Star 5 appearance. He finished with 28
points in 29 minutes, shooting 10-13 (76%) from the field including five
emphatic dunks, with eight rebounds and a huge six blocked shots. That included
10 points, two boards and two blocks in a first quarter that Lions won 29-16
before controlling the game throughout.
Marcus Delpeche – B.
Braun Sheffield Sharks
Marcus Delpeche was
impactful off the bench for his first weekly showing of the campaign as
Sheffield scored a significant road win at his former club, Bristol Flyers, to
improve to 7-6 and close the gap on the second-placed Flyers. He posted a big
double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, missing just twice in shooting 7-9
(77%), including six first quarter points immediately off the bench to give
Sharks an early lead.
Tomislav Zubcic – London
Lions
A second London big man
in this week’s team, Croatian Tomislav Zubcic is in the All-Star 5 for the
first time following their win over Manchester as Lions improved to 8-2. In
just 23 minutes, Zubcic scored 18 points, with seven rebounds, three assists
and three steals, including seven points in the first quarter and a
buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the half that gave Lions a comfortable
51-32 lead after 20 minutes.
Jeremiah Bailey –
Caledonia Gladiators
The only non-debutant
this week, Bailey features for the second week in a row and the third time
overall, which sees him join three other players at the top of the appearances
chart for the season, after Gladiators came from behind to beat Plymouth City
Patriots at the Emirates Arena on Sunday. He finished with 22 points in 24
minutes, knocking down 3-6 (50%) from the three-point line, with eight
rebounds, three assists and three steals, including seven points in the last
four minutes as they won the fourth 28-12 to overturn what had been a
double-digit deficit at one stage.
Maceo Jack – Cheshire
Phoenix
It was a double-winning
weekend for Cheshire Phoenix as they had consecutive victories for the first
time this season, with Maceo Jack providing firepower off the bench in Sunday’s
big home win over Surrey Scorchers to make the All-Star 5 for the first time.
He scored 18 points in 19 minutes, shooting 4-5 (80%) from the three-point
line, with five rebounds and four assists, including two triples and an assist
in under one minute as they finished the first on a 12-4 burst to take the lead
for good in what was their biggest win of the season.
Off the bench: Tahjai Teague (Cheshire Phoenix), Padiet Wang (Surrey Scorchers), Elvisi Dusha (Plymouth City Patriots), Shakem Johnson (Surrey Scorchers), Darien Nelson-Henry (Leicester Riders), David Sloan (Caledonia Gladiators), David Cohn (Newcastle Eagles).