FocusHoops' Darren Paul, a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, was on hand once again this past weekend to sort through all five games on offer and pick his latest Player and Team of the Week nods.
Have your say on this week's choices and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the hashtag #NBL2324. Don't forget to tag us!
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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
In the biggest clash of the weekend, one of the stars of the season showed out with 31 points on 52% shooting, including three triples, in Ipswich’s big win over CoLA.
Welham contributed across the board with seven rebounds, six assists and six steals for her side as she found ways to be effective whilst drawing very few fouls in the contest.
Ipswich got off to a hot start in their crunch tie with CoLA, racing out to a 10 point lead inside of the first two minutes to set the tone early.
Christabel Osarobo bagged six of those on her way to a 14 points, 16 rebounds double-double and a +/- of +42 in the 40 point statement win.
Osarobo also found her teammates for six assists, grabbed two steals and blocked two shots whilst only committing one turnover in a highly-impressive display.
Trailin led the way for Thames Valley as they took down Bristol at home to keep pace at the top with six games to play.
The TVC forward led her side in rebounds and blocks and was amongst the team leaders in points as she was just one board away from a double-double.
Trailin scored six of her points in the third, which is when TVC effectively ended the contest as their lead passed 15, claiming a vital two points in the process.
Jess Davies was a major factor in Brent keeping tabs with leaders Ipswich thanks to her 14-18 double-double on 41% shooting as the Bulls edged Manchester 62-59.
Davies was the game leader in rebounds, with 17 of her 18 coming on the defensive end, taking away second chance opportunities for an inspired Mystics side.
Davies had a single assist in the contest but it was a big one, pulling down her only offensive board with 44 seconds remaining before setting up Rochelle Davids for the go-ahead bucket.
Rehana Khalil was a force of nature for the Manchester Mystics as they took high-flying Brent Bulls to the wire in Manchester this weekend.
A 15-12 double-double on 38% shooting including four makes from outside, also dominating the defensive glass in a great battle with Jess Davies.
Khalil contributed in all areas, leading her side in rebounds, assists and steals and helped the Mystics get off to a great start with 11 first quarter points.
🗞 Ipswich took another step towards the D1W title as they beat rivals CoLA Southwark Pride 👇https://t.co/4G39gcrWZQ pic.twitter.com/zxGUJMIH2T
— NBL (@NBLengland) February 19, 2024
Only 26 seconds were left on the clock before Brent Bulls finally got the better of Manchester Mystics as Judit Fritz capped off an excellent 21 points display with two made free throws to clinch the contest.
A brilliantly back-and-forth game allowed Brent to show why they’re currently second in the standings with a game in hand as they battled past a tough Mystics side looking to stage a major upset.
Fritz led the way in the road win with Jess Davies also in double-digits scoring (14pts) and Rochelle Davids, who scored the go ahead basket late in the fourth, adding nine points for the Londoners.
Elizandra Costa (16pts), Rehana Khalil (15pts) and Remi Idowu (10pts) led the scoring for Manchester as the Mystics sent another warning to the league that they will be a tough proposition come the playoffs.
Ipswich improved their record to 14-3 to stay clear of Brent at the top of the table after a stunning forty-point win at home to CoLA Southwark Pride.
Ipswich raced into a 32-15 lead after ten minutes and never looked like giving it up, holding CoLA to 17 points per quarter for the rest of the game whilst pouring in the buckets at the other end.
Six Ipswich players had double-digit scoring, Harriet Welham and Christabel Osarobo led the way with 31 and 14 points respectively, with Liv Forster, Danielle Cazey and Olivia Partridge all contributing 11 points each.
CoLA were paced by Violet Stutz, who bagged 16 points in a valiant leader’s performance.
This was a reminder from Ipswich of just how deadly their shooting can be as they head into their much-anticipated top of the table clash against Brent next weekend.
Nadege Talva (ARU) - 15P/5R/5A/24EFF
Rian Rawlings (ARU) - 17P/2R/6A/21EFF
Judit Fritz (BRE) - 21P/3R/5A/20EFF
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