This week’s WBBL All-Star 5 is led by Leicester Riders’ German star Anna Lappenkuper after they made it four wins in a row and moved into the WBBL Championship top four, and she is joined by a pair of unbeaten London Lions and an American duo from East Midlands rivals Nottingham Wildcats.

Anna Lappenkuper – Leicester Riders
Leicester came from behind to secure a big road win at Essex Rebels on Sunday, having previously been level with them in the league table, as Lappenkuper poured in 35 points to earn a first All-Star 5 showing of the season, shooting 9-10 (90%) inside, 8-9 (88%) at the free-throw line and also knocking down three triples. Riders trailed by 14 points inside the final 13 minutes, but were irrepressible in scoring an amazing 43 points from then onwards to outscore their hosts by 20, with Lappenkuper scoring 21 of those including six in a row midway through the fourth that gave Riders the lead for good.

Kennedy Leonard – London Lions
Lions continued their dominant performances in WBBL play with a huge road win at Newcastle Eagles on Saturday, remaining an unbeaten 6-0 as Leonard finished with 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals to make a third All-Star 5 appearance of the campaign, joint-second most among all players. The only player in the league who averages a points and assists double-double, she shot 63% from the floor and set the tone early on with assists for the opening two buckets, setting up the latter with a steal too, as Lions raced into a 9-0 lead and never looked back, before she added seven points in a minute and a half in the second stanza as the lead went through 30 before the break.

Jo Leedham-Warner – London Lions
Joining her teammate in joint-second on the appearances list, with a third in just the last five weeks and second in quick succession, is Great Britain star and London 2012 Olympian Jo Leedham-Warner, also for her performance on the road at Newcastle. Like her backcourt partner, she did a bit of everything with 23 points, including 5-9 (55%) from three-point range, along with seven rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes. That included a pair of triples in that opening 9-0 salvo as she scored nine points in the first quarter that Lions won 23-9.

Brooklyn Pannell – Nottingham Wildcats
Nottingham bounced back from four straight defeats with a deserved road win at Caledonia Pride, having come close in recent games, leading to American guard Brooklyn Pannell making her first All-Star 5 appearance of the season after an amazing display of 32 points, six steals, four rebounds and two assists. Wildcats trailed for the vast majority of the game, but came storming back to win the fourth quarter 22-8 as Pannell scored eight points in that spell including the go-ahead basket inside the final two minutes, along with a pair of earlier steals that both led to key scores.

Kennedy Nicholas – Nottingham Wildcats
Wildcats are now 2-5 in league play and chasing down a Play-off spot as Kennedy Nicholas made an equally telling contribution in that win with a double-double of 10 points and a massive 20 rebounds, dominating the paint with four blocks as well. She gains weekly honours for the second time this season, as another player who averages a double-double and the league’s leader in rebounds, and she had an unbelievable ten boards in that crucial fourth quarter run while also blocking three shots as Wildcats held their hosts to just eight points in the last ten minutes, finishing the game on a decisive 11-2 tear.

Off the bench: Lauren Saiki (Cardiff Met Archers), Cat Carr (Sevenoaks Suns), Oceana Hamilton (Leicester Riders), Frankie Wurtz (Sevenoaks Suns), Lucrezia Costa (Essex Rebels), DeAngelique Waithe (Essex Rebels), Taylor Edwards (Caledonia Pride).