The WBBL’s monthly awards for January have been won by unbeaten WBBL Cup-winner Mark Clark and the league’s double-double machine Oceana Hamilton.
Clark, Head Coach of the London Lions, scoops the Molten WBBL Coach of the Month award for the third time already this season, and second month in a row, after the last weekend in January saw his team lift the WBBL Cup, live on Sky Sports in front of a record crowd for a women’s game in Britain of 6,188 at Utilita Arena Birmingham.
It was an historic moment for Lions as the first time that they had won this competition, adding to the WBBL Trophy and WBBL Play-offs that they won last season; and it came in emphatic fashion with an 87-47 defeat of Newcastle Eagles, led by London 2012 Olympians Azania Stewart and Jo Leedham-Warner, the former earning the MVP award.
After an early exchange of baskets, Clark’s team were in control throughout after holding Eagles to just 18 first half points, and only another nine in the third quarter, with six early points from Stewart and triples from Leedham-Warner, Cassie Breen and Shanice Beckford-Norton resulting in a 15-3 start and a lead that stayed in double-figures from the end of the first quarter onwards.
In an otherwise fairly quiet month in the WBBL, Lions also remained unbeaten at 11-0 in the chase for the WBBL Championship title with a big 97-53 road win at top four contenders Leicester Riders, who had lost just once at home all season back in October, with the consistency of their offensive output shining through.
Averaging 95 points per game, Lions have the league’s most potent offence and scored more than 20 points in each quarter of this game as Breen came from the bench to hit 10 points in a row early in the second stanza to establish a double-figure lead, Lions then holding their hosts to 10 and 11 in the second and third to take control.
Overall, they are 15-0 in all domestic competitions so far this season, gunning for a quadruple as they lead the league in a variety of offensive categories including scoring, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, offensive rebounds and fast break points. Next up they face a big game against the in-form Sheffield Hatters, currently third in the table at 11-1 and the only team to have finished a game within one shot of Lions – a crucial head-to-head is on the line.
Meanwhile, Leicester Riders’ Canadian centre Oceana Hamilton has won Molten WBBL Player of the Month for January after continuing her dominant form as Riders consolidated their top four spot with two big wins.
The 6’4″ 26-year-old joined Riders in the summer after professional spells in Australia and Germany, and a solid college career at Northwestern and the University of Alabama. She has been quick to establish herself in the WBBL, and proven a handful at both ends, as the league’s leader in blocked shots (2.7 per game), second-leading rebounder (13.5) and third in free-throws made (34).
She is one of just four players averaging a double-double in the WBBL Championship, with 12.6 points and 13.5 boards per game, and has eight double-doubles on the season while being joint-leader in weekly All-Star 5 appearances with six so far, and two in January.
She had a double-double in all three of Leicester’s games last month, with the highlight being an absolutely huge performance of 22 points and 22 rebounds in a home win over Cardiff Met Archers, as she shot 10-13 (76%) from the free-throw line and grabbed 10 offensive boards as Riders had 18 second chance points to separate the teams in a close game.
Hamilton ended the month with 17 points and 11 rebounds, along with five blocked shots, two steals and two assists as Leicester came from behind to beat Caledonia Pride, as she scored two quick baskets early in the fourth to tee off a 25-6 final period, helping to hold Pride to single-figures with two blocks and a steal late on.
Overall, for the month, she upped her averages to post 16.7 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, along with 2.7 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals, shooting 81% from the free-throw line.