Five different teams are represented in the latest BBL All-Star 5 after a busy Easter Weekend of action, led by Zach Jackson as a comeback performance from Leicester Riders sent them up to second in the BBL Championship table and sent him clear in second among all players in All-Star 5 appearances.
Zach Jackson – Leicester Riders
Leicester trailed by double-figures at the Morningside Arena on Sunday before a second half defensive clampdown saw them come back to beat Newcastle Eagles, with Zach Jackson leading the charge and making a sixth All-Star 5 showing, appearing for consecutive weeks, to go clear in second overall. He finished with 29 points on 10-13 (76%) shooting, knocking down 5-6 (83%) from three-point range, with nine rebounds and three assists; including the triple that opened the third quarter and sparked the fight back, among 14 points he scored in a 48-29 second half.
Aaron Best – London Lions
The recently crowned champions London Lions had back-to-back wins over top five teams over the weekend, with Aaron Best’s performance on the road at Manchester Giants leading to his second All-Star 5 appearance of the season, but first since week four. He poured in a career-high 28 points on an amazing 6-9 (66%) three-point shooting, with six rebounds and two assists; including 11 first quarter points as Lions established a double-figure lead, and a cushion that they needed to hold off a late fightback.
Rashad Hassan – Plymouth City Patriots
Plymouth City Patriots are holding on to the last Play-off spot after a first win in eight games on the road at Surrey Scorchers, led by a characteristic performance from Rashad Hassan as he features in the weekly team for the first time this season. He scored 28 points on 12-16 (75%) shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, including seven points late in the second stanza as Patriots dug themselves out of a double-figure hole, before scoring five points in under a minute in the third to give them the lead and finally the key score with three minutes remaining that put them ahead for good.
Devearl Ramsey – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
Cheshire Phoenix were the only team to have beaten Sheffield in the last nine games, but Sharks took a key one at Ponds Forge on Sunday as they gained the head-to-head between the two teams currently locked on 16 wins in the table, leading to a first All-Star 5 appearance for Devearl Ramsey. He did a bit of everything with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, shooting 7-7 from the free-throw line, including 12 fourth quarter points as Sharks won the decisive period 27-16 to break a tie in an otherwise tight game.
Fahro Alihodzic – Caledonia Gladiators
Another player featuring for the second week in a row, Fahro Alihodzic has been a driving force in Caledonia’s run of five straight wins as they have moved up into the top four in the BBL Championship table after two wins over the weekend culminated in the league’s longest road trip at Plymouth. He posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, with three assists and two steals, including four offensive boards as Gladiators had a key 16 second chance points in a close game, with Alihodzic making a decisive ‘and-one’ play with six minutes remaining that took them from behind to in front for good.
Off the bench: Dirk Williams (Manchester Giants), Tajh Green (Manchester Giants), Kyle Johnson (Newcastle Eagles), David Cohn (Newcastle Eagles), Thomas Bell (Bristol Flyers), Larry Austin Jr. (Cheshire Phoenix), Jamell Anderson (Cheshire Phoenix).