As a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, FocusHoops' Darren takes a check on each club’s first half of the season before looking forward to what they could do the rest of the way.
It's a busy weekend coming up as well, with six games to look forward to as well as the semi-finals of the WNBL National Cup on Sunday.
CoLA Southwark Pride have gone from strength to strength in the past three seasons and 2021 could not have gone much better for the Londoners as they sit atop the D1W standings.
Isi Ozzy-Momodu has continued her incredibly efficient form from last season, form that saw her finish in the WNBL Team of the Year in 2020/21.
The story from Southwark is that coach Jackson Gibbons has so many weapons at his disposal he can distribute minutes like few other coaches can, the list of key performers for the Pride has been very long and their strength in depth continues to impress.
On the floor they have picked up a convincing win over their championship rivals Ipswich, a modicum of revenge for last season’s playoffs no doubt, but were less convincing in victories over Loughborough and Cardiff Met - a sign of champions perhaps?
There is only one goal for CoLA in the second half of the season. Win the championship, but could the young Londoners do the unthinkable and go a whole season undefeated?
Sunday 9 January 2:30pm - D1W - Reading Rockets v CoLA Southwark Pride - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
The reigning WNBL league and playoff champs have made a great start to the 2021/22 season considering the huge losses to their roster last off-season.
Despite the departure of WNBL Team of the Year talent Esther Little and back-to-back D1W Player of the Year Harriet Welham, the East Anglian outfit have remained a highly competitive side in what could have been a rebuilding year.
Ipswich continue the tradition of playing games at a breakneck pace, punishing opponents in transition and putting up three-point shots. The formula has worked thus far, seeing them second in the standings, but they have had more close encounters than they will likely be happy with.
Coach Drane's side will be looking to consolidate a top-two finish but will no doubt fight tooth and nail to retain both their titles from a year ago.
Ipswich faces two tough tests in their opening five matchups of 2022 with TVC and CoLA being key contests for the Suffolk side.
Saturday 8 January 3pm - D1W - Thames Valley Cavaliers v Ipswich - LIVE STATS
TVC may be one of the surprise stories of the season, with the third placed side just one victory away from matching their win total of last season just seven games into 2021/22.
The Cavs may well look back at their loss to Ipswich as one they’d want back but impressive wins over Loughborough and Team Solent Kestrels to see out the first half can be chalked up as statement results as they head into 2022.
TVC get an opportunity to avenge that opening matchup loss to Ipswich tomorrow and host Southwark on the 22 January, victories in these two games would turn the WNBL on its head.
In the second half, TVC’s goals will likely be to finish in the top two and pick up a home playoff berth as they push for the title, and with Katherine Goldsby and Eziekielsa Lisk consistently lighting up box scores they will be confident in any matchup they face.
Saturday 8 January 3pm - D1W - Thames Valley Cavaliers v Ipswich - LIVE STATS
Sunday 9 January 2pm - WNBL National Cup - Stockport Lapwings v Thames Valley Cavaliers - LIVE STATS
Loughborough Riders may look back at the first half of 2021 as "what might have been." They took their first two losses of the season in the final games of 2021, including a one-point heartbreaker against Southwark that would have been huge for the Midlands side if they could have pulled out the W.
The Riders have found the going comfortable for the most part, as expected of a club of their standing, but have fallen short in their two biggest tests of the season to date.
They kick-off 2022 with a run of five games they will have earmarked as winnable. This weekend's test against Cardiff is arguably their toughest contest before they travel to ARU in mid-February.
The Riders know what is expected of them in the second half. Try and claim the WNBL D1 title and failing that, secure a home-playoff berth for the postseason. Those two goals that can only be achieved with the continued performances of Alia El Shabrawy and Robyn Ainge, who have consistently put in impressive outings throughout 2021.
Sunday 9 January 2pm - D1W - Loughborough Riders v Cardiff Met Archers II - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
Anglia Ruskin University also form part of the chasing pack with a 5-2 record. Ruskin lost their opening contest to Southwark Pride but it was the shock road loss to Bristol that they will really want back from the first half of the season.
Outside of those two defeats, ARU have taken care of business, rounding off the year with a hard-fought 74-67 win over local rivals Ipswich.
ARU are once again led by the returning Katrin Hulme, who spent the second half of the 2020/21 season winning the WBBL with the Sevenoaks Suns. She clearly picked up a thing or two playing for Len Busch as Hulme currently leads D1W in total efficiency at 175.00 whilst averaging a double-double and leading her side in assists.
The partnership of Hulme and long time rival Courtney Gray has been excellent for the Cambridge-based club, and the duo have led the way for a Ruskin programme still adjusting to personnel changes from the sides they’ve put on the floor in recent seasons.
The second half objective for ARU is the same as the teams bunched around them. If possible, win the WNBL title. To achieve this they cannot afford to drop any games, but with the way they finished 2021, they’re in a strong position to compete.
Saturday 8 January 4pm - D1W - Anglia Ruskin University v Nottingham Trent University - LIVE STATS
Sunday 9 January 3pm - WNBL National Cup - Anglia Ruskin University v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
Much like Solent below them, Cardiff Met Archers II are a fascinating team to watch out for in the second half of the season. The Welsh outfit saw the much-anticipated return of Amber Deane and the introduction of Denisa Molnar to support the phenomenal young duo of Isobel Bunyan and Carys Roy.
Cardiff made a brilliant start to the season, finishing the first half with a record over .500. They picked up wins over the sides sitting outside of the playoff places, pushed CoLA to within two points on the road and took a huge away win against Solent to finish 2021.
The Archers have a brutal schedule to kick off 2022 with five road games, starting in Loughborough and playing three sides ranked above them in the standings.
If Cardiff can come away with an upset win against Loughborough, TVC or ARU they will all but be assured of their first-ever D1 playoff berth, assuming they continue to collect wins against opponents ranked below them.
Sunday 9 January 2pm - D1W - Loughborough Riders v Cardiff Met Archers II - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
Team Solent Kestrels may be poised for the most interesting second-half of the season of all the teams in WNBL D1.
They've welcomed Krisztina Velkey-Cleeve back to the club after her maternity leave and in her three games to date she doesn’t look to have missed a step. Coupled with the growth in the game of Saffie Jarju, the continued development of Faye Endean, plus the experience of Detti Balla and Molly Danielson, the Kestrels look like a force to be reckoned with in 2022.
TSK made a stuttering start to the season, picking up wins against sides in the bottom four, but saw their record turned on it’s head with a four-game losing streak.
TSK must make the playoffs this season and have the roster to do it. With the return of Velkey-Cleeve, the Kestrels will be expected to make a run at a top-four finish but will need to claim wins over the top clubs along the way.
Solent start 2022 with two winnable games over London and Bristol and then take on Ipswich on the road. That'll be their first major test of the second half.
Saturday 8 January 2pm - D1W - London Lions II v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
Sunday 9 January 3pm - WNBL National Cup - Anglia Ruskin University v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
Having missed the playoffs last season on the final day of the season, Worcester will be looking to go one better and make the top eight here.
The Wolves are yet to take a huge scalp but have picked up wins over the teams that sit below them in the standings in NTU, London, Reading and Bristol. That will stand them in good stead heading into a competitive second half of the campaign, but to secure a playoff berth they'll need to cause an upset or two before the campaign is out.
With the return of one of the stars from last season, Carolina Marques, and with rookie American Chandre Nunez setting the pace for the Wolves along with strong performances from Shanice Turner, coach Emery's side will be looking for more contributions from other players to help them kick on from here.
The Wolves’ primary goal is to clinch their first D1 playoff berth, which right now looks within their grasp. As a secondary objective, they are currently the worst three-point shooting team in the division - improving this will likely be an area of emphasis going forward.
Saturday 8 January 5pm - D1W - Bristol Flyers v Worcester Wolves - LIVE STATS
The Reading Rockets are a side in a partial rebuild and the 2018/19 WNBL playoff finalists have taken time to click into gear in the first half of the season.
Losing Defensive Player of the Year and WNBL Team of the Year selection Sitota Gines Espinosa as she has embarked on her NCAA career has undoubtedly been a challenge for the Berkshire club, but Candela Hemida Nunez is having a career year and Gaila Comensana has also impressed.
From the first half of the season, the only game the Rockets would probably want back in the three-point loss to Worcester. Hosting the league-leading Pride on their first encounter of the second half is tough, but Reading’s safety in D1 should be assured for next season with a few more wins, with a playoff place not out of the question.
This weekend
Sunday 9 January 2:30pm - D1W - Reading Rockets v CoLA Southwark Pride - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
Bristol Flyers have been a constant in the WNBL playoff and title picture in recent seasons, but the first half of the 2021/22 season has been a struggle for the West Country club.
The Flyers grabbed a huge win over their rivals, Anglia Ruskin, on NBL Live in match day five and took points from London Lions and NTU. They also held Southwark Pride to just 53 points on the road, in a 53-45 loss on the final game before the break.
Bristol returned a number of familiar faces for this season but it has been the 16-year-old Welsh guard Emma Bailey who has been leading the way for the Flyers, with Leila Jepson in her fourth season with the programme as a player to watch in 2022.
Bristol will be looking to pick up a win over their local rivals Worcester to kickstart a second-half campaign that looks to put the Flyers back where they historically have ranked, mixing it with the top sides and finishing in the playoff positions.
Saturday 8 January 5pm - D1W - Bristol Flyers v Worcester Wolves - LIVE STATS
London Lions II finished the first half of the season with just one victory, a 61-49 win over NTU in match day four, but have been competitive in most games they’ve contested.
They have been led by the young duo of Fatmata Janneh and Nicholle Lavinier, who have both featured and trained with their WBBL outfit this season, learning from Olympic and British Basketball legends Jo Leedham-Warner and Azania Stewart. The offensive-minded duo look to be aggressive, with Lavinier leading the Lions in scoring.
In the second half, the Lions will be looking to convert those tight losses into wins and may have designs on making the playoffs, but will need to see an improvement from the free throw line to make for that happen. They sit bottom of the WNBL in that department, whilst being middle of the pack in FG% and 3-point makes.
Saturday 8 January 2pm - D1W - London Lions II v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
Nottingham Trent University, playoff semi-finalists last season, have had a turbulent first half to the 2021/22 campaign.
Still searching of their first victory of the season, the Midlands outfit have been on the wrong end of some lopsided results, but in other outings they have threatened to cause major shocks, such as pushing reigning champs Ipswich to a 70-69 nail-biter in match day three.
Trent has lost some key performers from their first few D1W seasons, but the exciting duo of Lindsey Cleary and Lilly Annim have been stuffing the stat sheets. NTU can also lean on the experience and leadership of fiery guard Ines Guerreiro, plus Emily Arshamian, both of whom have been mainstays in the programme.
As 2022 begins, NTU need to focus on a simple first step. Gain that first victory. From there, can they snag enough wins to avoid relegation? A note to all NTU fans is that Anglia Ruskin's first playoff title in 2017/18 saw ARU collect just one win ahead of the league's mid-season break before going on a tear in the second half of the season to win it all.
Saturday 8 January 4pm - D1W - Anglia Ruskin University v Nottingham Trent University - LIVE STATS
2pm - London Lions II v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
3pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers v Ipswich - LIVE STATS
4pm - Anglia Ruskin University v Nottingham Trent University - LIVE STATS
5pm - Bristol Flyers v Worcester Wolves - LIVE STATS
2pm - Loughborough Riders v Cardiff Met Archers II - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
2:30pm - Reading Rockets v CoLA Southwark Pride - LIVE STATS/LIVE STREAM
2pm - WNBL National Cup - Stockport Lapwings v Thames Valley Cavaliers - LIVE STATS
3pm - WNBL National Cup - Anglia Ruskin University v Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
