London Lions won the Betty Codona WBBL Trophy Final live on Sky Sports on Sunday, with the latest All-Star 5 including MVP Kiki Herbert Harrigan, alongside stars from Oaklands Wolves, Durham Palatinates and Caledonia Gladiators as they scored crucial WBBL Championship wins.
Cassidy Gould – Oaklands Wolves
Oaklands Wolves are still in the Play-off chase after picking up a first win in eight games by beating Newcastle Eagles in an overtime nail-biter at home on Saturday, leading to a second All-Star 5 appearance for Australian guard Cassidy Gould. Playing 41 minutes, she missed just twice in shooting 10-12 (83%) from the field and 5-5 at the free-throw line, along with nine rebounds and eight assists, including four crucial points in the last three minutes of the extra period and a lay-up with 11 seconds remaining that put her team up three.
Kiki Herbert-Harrigan – London Lions
Former WNBA star Kiki Herbert-Harrigan showed her class on the big occasion by winning the Betty Codona WBBL Trophy Final MVP award on Sunday, as London beat Leicester Riders live on Sky Sports at the Emirates Arena, leading to her sixth All-Star 5 appearance and fourth in the last five weeks, as she goes joint-third among all players. She scored a Trophy Final record 33 points on 10-16 (62%) shooting from the field and 10-13 (76%) at the free-throw line, along with seven rebounds and two blocks, including eight points in the decisive 14-2 third quarter burst that broke a tie and put Lions ahead for good.
Elle Hendershot – Durham Palatinates
Another team chasing a post-season berth, Durham made it back-to-back wins on the road at Manchester Met Mystics on Saturday, led by captain Elle Hendershot as she gains weekly honours for the second time this season, but first since week four. Active at both ends, she had a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds – including eight offensive boards as Palatinates scored 22 second chance points – along with six steals and three assists. They raced into a big lead as she set the tone early with eight points and five boards in the first, including six directly from her own work on the offensive glass.
Jess Wayne – Durham Palatinates
Teammate Jess Wayne put on a defensive masterclass in that win for Durham as they held Mystics to just 37 points in what was their best defensive stand of the season, leading to her third All-Star 5 appearance of the campaign and moving her into the top ten overall. She nabbed an unbelievable 12 steals as Palatinates scored a huge 41 points from turnovers, Wayne also finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Again, setting the tone in that fast start, she had four first quarter steals leading directly to four points, overall scoring five points herself in the opening ten minutes.
Téa Adams – Caledonia Gladiators
Featuring for the second week in a row, and third time overall, American guard Téa Adams led Caledonia Gladiators to a key road win at Cardiff Met Archers to strengthen their hold on a top four spot in the WBBL Championship table. She scored a game-high 23 points, including 3-5 (60%) from the three-point line, with six rebounds, five steals and two assists in a do-it-all performance, with all five steals, and eight points, coming in the second half as Gladiators came from double-figures down to snatch it late on, Adams with a key steal and rebound in the last two minutes as the hosts didn’t score in close to five at the end.
Off the bench: Mari Stewart (Nottingham Wildcats), Marina Fernandez Pardo (Newcastle Eagles), Samantha Keltos (Manchester Met Mystics), Shannon Hatch (Cardiff Met Archers), Kayla Shaw (Nottingham Wildcats), Ashley Arlen (Leicester Riders), Julia Koppl (Sevenoaks Suns).