FocusHoops' Darren Paul, a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, had more than enough action to get his teeth into, including a pair of wins for CoLA and a tough loss for Ipswich, when picking his Player and Team of the Week recipients.
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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
Harriet Welham delivered an excellent scoring performance for Ipswich on Sunday, bagging 41 points in a crucial victory that keeps the Suffolk side in the title chase as we head into the closing stretch.
Welham’s 12 points in the second period helped her side erase Loughborough's early lead in a huge quarter for Ipswich’s season. Overall, Welham scored efficiently, going 65% from the floor, a perfect 8/8 from the line and draining three makes from outside.
With eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, Welham contributed across the board in a bounce-back victory that may yet prove pivotal.
Melissa Leet put in a dominant display for Loughborough Riders, delivering a double-double performance that was as efficient as it was impactful in their 71-59 win over Cobham.
A 20 point outing on 66% shooting, Leet was a menace on both ends of the floor. She locked down the defensive paint with 11 of 12 rebounds coming on defence, and with seven blocks she made it tough inside for the Cobras.
Three assists and four steals capped off an excellent outing as Loughborough split their weekend and stayed in the top half of the standings.
Lindsey Cleary’s 23-14 double-double helped Brent Bulls get by London Cavaliers, capitalising on Ipswich's slip up against Bristol.
In the continued absence of Judit Fritz, Cleary was a handful for the Cavaliers’ defense, drawing seven fouls and hitting 9/10 from the line in metronomic fashion.
The American was also trouble inside as 12 of her points came from under the basket, plus a make from midrange.
With three dimes and three takeaways, the former Reading star gave a great performance on both ends of the floor, demonstrated by taking an even seven rebounds at each end.
Leila Jepson led the scoring charge for Bristol Flyers in their upset victory over table-topping Ipswich. Jepson finished with 23 points in the contest, on a team high-58% shooting, which included four-triples and five makes from the stripe.
Jepson had six points in the final few minutes of the contest as Ipswich tried to rally down the stretch, and scored at pivotal points throughout the game, including tying the contest in the third as Bristol were about to ascend.
The Bristol standout dished five assists and took away two steals in an excellent individual and team outing as the Flyers improved their record to 10-10 and now look towards to the playoffs with a huge win under their belts.
Chandera Jones-Aryeh once again led the way for CoLA Southwark Pride, who moved into pole position in the standings thanks in part to her double-double showing against ARU.
Jones-Aryeh scored 16 points, going 5/10 from the field and 6/7 at the stripe, whilst pulling down 11 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.
Jones-Aryeh dished the rock for five assists and finished with seven steals making it a tough day in London for ARU.
Bristol Flyers sent shockwaves through the league this weekend with their 79-67 victory over Ipswich, which looks to have put the title race firmly into the hands of CoLA Southwark Pride with just a few weeks to go in the regular season.
Bristol were led in scoring by Leila Jepson (23 points) and Kim Kheing (18 points) and Hannah Wallace, who contributed 10 points off the bench including three made free-throws mid-way through the very tense final period of action. Samantha Roscoe was a force on the glass for Bristol with 12 rebounds, leading her side in that category.
Bristol outshot Ipswich from outside, making four more threes and at a higher percentage, and made four more of their FTs to take the victory in an otherwise close encounter.
Ipswich were led by Maddy Wormald, who had a stellar outing bagging 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Ipswich bounced back from their shock defeat to Bristol to best Loughborough Riders 97-73, a scoring output that we’re more used to seeing from the Suffolk squad.
Harriet Welham was the leading scorer with 41 points at an excellent 65% clip, whilst Hannah Gray put up 20 points on 53% shooting. Loughborough had enjoyed a great start, holding an eight point lead in the first, but Ipswich rallied back in the second, thanks in part to 12 points from Welham, to lead by eight heading into a second half that they would control.
Despite Loughborough shooting better from outside, Ipswich were unstoppable inside, making 50% of their two-point attempts as a major differentiator between the sides and a key to Ipswich’s eventual victory.
The win keeps Ipswich joint top of the table with CoLA as we head into the final few weeks of a season for the ages.
Loughborough were led in scoring by Miriam Carrasco Menendez, who finished with 22 points in a fine showing.
Kacey Cox (WOR) - 19P/2R/2A/5S/27EFF @ BAR
Maddy Wormald (IPS) - 28P/13R/4S/31EFF @ BRI
Kim Kheing (BRI) - 18P/4R/5A/3S/22EFF
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Main image credit - Richard Leach
