FocusHoops' Darren Paul, a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, sifted through the best and brightest performances to hone in on his 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
Habbal Ayla is my Player of the Week thanks to her excellent scoring display in CoLA Southwark Pride’s 61-52 win over Cobham Cobras.
Habbal finished with a game-high 25 points on 57% shooting, with eight points coming early in the fourth, including back-to-back makes just after Cobham had tied the contest.
The young guard also contributed elsewhere with five rebounds, three steals and a team-high five assists in a standout performance.
Judit Fritz bagged a team-high 24 points as Brent Bulls took a 65-55 road win against a spirited Worcester Wolves.
Fritz shot well from inside the arc at 50% and was a perfect 9/9 from the stripe, having been a constant menace for Wolves, drawing eight fouls.
Fritz finished with five boards, four dimes and two steals in another strong showing from one of the league’s star names.
Vanessa Akra was ruthlessly efficient in Brent’s victory over Worcester, clocking in with an 11-10 double-double on 71% shooting.
Akra led her side on the glass, pulling down eight defensive boards and swiping a steal.
The Brent standout also showed her range of scoring with makes at the rim, from the midrange, and going 1/1 from beyond the arc, along with not committing a single turnover in 32:05 of action.
Tied 64-a-piece, Loughborough's Melissa Leet got open in the corner on a side line out-of-pounds play and sank a contested dagger of a three-pointer to maintain the Riders’ perfect start to the season.
Leet had eight points and eight rebounds in the contest, scoring two of the three shots she took, including the biggest of the game.
She also had a game-high three blocks and didn’t turn the ball over once in an efficient, game-winning performance.
Alex Shaw dominated under the basket as she led her Loughborough side with a team-high 21 points in Reading, shooting 61% from the field on her way to a double-double.
Shaw bagged a game-high 10 rebounds in the matchup, an even split of offensive and defensive boards, and finished with two assists, one steal and one block in a fine interior performance.
Melissa Leet’s show-stealing, game-wining triple in crunch time was the highlight play of the weekend and a great way to cap off a tough battle between Reading and Loughborough.
Loughborough saw three players finish in double-digits, with Alex Shaw, Erin Caldwell and Charley Woodman scoring 21, 16 and 11 points, respectively, whilst Leet, Shaw, and Jasmine Graham looked to control the glass for the Midlands outfit.
Reading was led by Alicia Guerra Rainford, who scored 21 points with nine rebounds in a great individual display despite the final result.
Manchester edged Bristol in a low-scoring affair, led in scoring by Elizandra Costa (15pts), Irene Oboavwoduo (10pts), and Kizzy Spence (13pts).
Rehana Khalil, so often a leader for the Mystics, helped drag Manchester out of a big hole. She led the contest with 12 rebounds, six assists, and six steals, helping her side erase a 14-point deficit to take the 9-point victory.
Bristol were led by Kim Kheing, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in a tough loss.
Alecia Guerra-Rainford (REA) - 21P/9R/2A/3S/19EFF
Carolina Marques (WOR) - 22P/3R/3A/18EFF
Rehana Khalil (MAN) - 8P/12R/6A/6S/16EFF
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Team of the Week photo credits - Flo Alalade (Fritz, Akra, Leet and Shaw)
