Academy POTW: Round stays hot, Osarobo downs CoLA

There were some big results across the EABL and WEABL landscapes this past week.

With teams fighting for titles and other scrapping for playoff positions, some players put in a top effort to help their programmes pick up key results on Wednesday afternoon.

Have your say on this week's picks and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the links below.

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How it works 

Player of the Week will be selected by paying attention to the following criteria:

  • Efficiency  
  • Stats  
  • Team and opposition strength  
  • Periods of influence in the game 
  • Being on a winning team (exceptional performances from players on losing teams will be considered)

Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions as well.

EABL 

There were plenty of great games across the EABL this week, though one performance stood out amongst the crowd as JMA claimed a strong home win against defending champs Barking Abbey.

The 100-90 contest was as high-scoring as it was exciting, with Rockets' captain Isaac Round putting together a great outing.

His 28 points included four triples, adding a stunning 14 assists and eight rebounds to narrowly miss out on a deserved triple-double.

With a +10 +/- in a ten point win, Round was worth every bit of his 40 efficiency rating as a worthy POTW winner.

Speaking about the performance, Round said: “This was a very important game for us. Barking play with a lot of intensity on defence, and yet we managed to play some of our best offence this season.

"I was able to find my teammates when needed who made some great plays, both at the rim and beyond the arc.”

JMA assistant coach Ben Fisher added: “I am absolutely thrilled our guys put in the performance they did and managed to get a really impressive win over a very tough Barking team.

"The group has been progressing well over the last few weeks and have worked hard to turn close losses into wins. Although we have lots more to work on, the signs are really good as we head into the business end of the season.

"Myself and Coach Samit loved the player's competitive spirit and we will need that going into the final three games as we hunt down a play-off spot.”

Honourable mentions

Edward Oniya (CHA) - 34P/13R/2S/36EFF

Ludlow Hewson (CAN) - 25P/8R/8A/29EFF

Harry Godwin (BA) - 26P/2A/3S/26EFF

Ethan Round (JMA) - 17P/6R/4R/25EFF

Shaq Furlonge (MAN) - 15P/12R/3S/24EFF

WEABL

In a top of the table clash in the South conference, Copleston High School took a big step towards securing the regular season title as they handed rivals City of London Academy - Southwark a 75-70 loss, their first of the season.

A big reason for the host's success was undoubtedly the play of guard Christabel Osarobo, with the Gonzaga commit putting together a spectacular individual performance to help her team get over the line.

Her 35 points were the highest amongst any player in the WEABL this week, adding 14 rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals to a great afternoon's work.

That stat line, along with shooting 15/28 from the floor that included 4/7 from 3pt range, meant Osarobo closed with an impressive 35 efficiency.

Speaking about the performance, Osarobo said: “We put in the work for this result, everyone contributed massively and we were rewarded for it by getting the win”.

Copleston head coach Nick Drane added: “Christabel was exceptional in this win, as were the rest of the girls.  You have to be at your best to compete with CoLA at any level and this was a pleasing performance.

"But it is just a regular season game and for anyone to win this competition, you have to beat them when it matters most – the playoffs."

Honourable mentions

Erin Powell (CHA) - 26P/10R/6A/5S/40EFF

Cleo Lewis-Gayle (OAK) - 14P/11R/2S/25EFF

Felicia Jacobs (CoLA) - 18P/13R/24EFF

Samantha Mullock (NAW) - 15P/19R/4A/4S/24EFF

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