FocusHoops' Darren Paul, a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, saw Ipswich take a huge step towards the regular season title with their win against Brent, plus another four games across the league, when selecting his latest Player and Team of the Week picks.
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Darren will pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out his Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:
The FocusHoops Team of the Week 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lindsey Cleary put in a monster performance for Reading, as they took down their neighbours Bristol in a game with huge playoff implications.
Cleary finished with 19 points off 50% shooting, 14 of those points coming in the paint with a further five at the line.
Cleary cleaned up on the glass with five defensive boards on her way to 14 total, along with six assists, five steals and a block in yet another impressive showing from the American.
Christabel Osarobo was one of the standout performers in the top of the table match up between Ipswich and Brent, finishing with an efficient 17 points in her side's victory.
Osarobo put in an efficient scoring performance, bagging her points on 58% shooting from the bench, and going 2/3 from outside.
Th Ipswich standout chipped in with five boards, an assist and a steal and didn’t commit a single foul or turnover in her 23 minutes of court time.
Felicia Jacobs only needed 20 minutes of action to make a major impact for CoLA as they took down CoB Rockets.
Jacobs finished with 16 points on 50% shooting and went an impressive 6/8 from the line.
The young forward was disciplined in possession, not committing a single turnover, whilst battling for eight rebounds and picking three passes as CoLA took a victory that keeps them in the battle for a top three finish.
Drawing a staggering 12 fouls, nine of Elia Ando’s 23 points came from the stripe, as Bristol struggled to contain the Reading forward as she recorded a 23-12 double-double off 63% shooting.
Ando was a menace in the passing lanes, tying Cleary for a team-high five steals, whilst dishing our three assists and pulling down the boards on both ends in a standout performance that leaves Reading in the box seat for a playoff berth.
Gabriela Kostova-Dobrova led the fight for Solent this weekend and put up impressive numbers in a battling 30 minute display against a title-chasing TVC.
Kostova-Dobrova finished with a game-high 17 points and a team-best eight rebounds, scoring 42% of her shots (all from two-point land) and going perfect at the stripe, 5/5.
The TSK guard contributed one assist, two steals and a block in a fine individual performance despite the final score.
🗞The battle D1W's top two went the way of Ipswich as they saw off Brent Bulls 👇https://t.co/B66o0IfAbK pic.twitter.com/JpciZB5doi
— NBL (@NBLengland) February 26, 2024
Ipswich took a major step in their quest for the D1W title on Sunday with their 85-50 victory away to Brent, which saw the Suffolk outfit leading 49-15 at the half.
Paced in scoring by Harriet Welham (22pts), Ipswich had four players in double digits, with the usual quarter of Welham, Liv Forster, Christabel Osarabo (both 17pts) and Yaz Edwards (10pts) all contributing.
Ipswich shot well as a team, scoring 40% of their chances and made their way to the stripe 23 times compared to Brent’s 11, as the Londoners struggled with turnovers and making shots.
Brent were led in scoring by Kenisha Whyte and Eleanor Bishop, who both scored 10 points apiece.
Reading currently sit ninth in the standings, but thanks to a crucial win over local and playoff rivals Bristol Flyers and a staggering five games in hand, the Rockets could see themselves launched up the table and even contend a top four finish should results go their way.
Reading left Bristol with an 11 point victory thanks to the dominant forward play of Elia Ando and Lindsey Cleary, who bagged 23 and 19 points respectively. Reading also saw 11 points off the bench from Alicia Guerra Rainford, who brought the energy and the range, going 3/6 from outside.
Reading won the battle inside and the battle on the glass, taking 14 more rebounds than Bristol on their way to victory, whilst the Flyers were led in scoring by an 18-5-3 performance from Leila Jepson.
Leila Jepson (BRI) - 18P/5R/3A/18EFF
Veronica Iweanya (BRI) - 10P/6R/15EFF
Kat Goldsby (TVC) - 8P/5R/4A/6S/14EFF
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Main image credit - Luke Simcock
