scored a home win over northernmost rivals<\/a> Caledonia Gladiators for back-to-back victories in the BBL Championship. Hamlet poured in 34 points and was unstoppable as he got to the free-throw line 15 times and made them all, adding six assists and three rebounds in the game. Eagles trailed for most of the way until a 13-4 run to end the third in which Hamlet handed out three assists, before he scored six points in the last seven minutes, all from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n\nPadiet Wang \u2013 Surrey Scorchers<\/h3>\n
South Sudan international guard Padiet Wang makes
\nhis second showing in the weekly team after Surrey beat Bristol Flyers in their
\ncustomary New Year\u2019s Day game for a first win in nine and a first home win of
\nthe campaign. Wang showed his athleticism and did a bit of everything as he
\nfinished with 21 points on 7-9 (77%) interior shooting and 7-8 (87%) at the
\nfree-throw line, with nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two
\nblocks. The teams were hardly separated by more than two shots throughout,
\nuntil Surrey put together a 10-3 fourth quarter burst as Wang had six points,
\nthree rebounds and two assists down the stretch.<\/p>\n
Larry Austin Jr. \u2013 Cheshire Phoenix<\/h3>\n
Also making his second appearance of the season,
\nCheshire\u2019s American guard Larry Austin Jr. showed he has ice in his veins as
\nthe Nix had to hold on to seal a first North West derby win in seven over the
\nManchester Giants in front of a raucous sell-out crowd. Helping his team
\nthrough a century, Austin finished on 20 points while shooting 6-9 (66%) from
\nthe field and 7-9 (77%) from the line, with five assists, five rebounds and two
\nsteals. That included 5-6 free-throws inside the last 20 seconds as Giants
\nattempted to shoot their way to an improbable comeback, with Cheshire\u2019s captain
\nsettling the nerves in one of the tensest finishes we have seen all season.<\/p>\n
Will Neighbour \u2013 Cheshire Phoenix<\/h3>\n
Leading all scorers in the North West derby,
\nBritish forward Will Neighbour makes his first All-Star 5 appearance of the campaign
\nafter his first half performance looked to have settled the tie early on.
\nNeighbour finished with 21 points on 9-13 (69%) shooting including a perfect
\n6-6 inside as he showed his full repertoire of hooks and fadeaways, adding six
\nrebounds and two steals. He scored 19 in a sensational first half that saw
\nPhoenix pour in 62 points and establish a big lead, including 10 points for
\nNeighbour in a minute and a half to put the hosts up 20 at one stage.<\/p>\n
Kosta Koufos \u2013 London Lions<\/h3>\n
Former NBA veteran Kosta Koufos has started to
\nmake his mark as one of the highest profile signings in BBL history, as he
\nmakes his second All-Star 5 showing in a row and third overall as Lions beat
\nPlymouth City Patriots for a seventh straight win. In just 19 minutes he posted
\na double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocks, including
\nsix points and four boards in the opening five minutes as Lions raced into a
\ndouble-digit lead at the Copper Box Arena and never looked back.<\/p>\n
Off the bench: <\/strong>Tajh Green (Manchester Giants), Jeremiah Bailey (Caledonia Gladiators), Antonio Williams (Plymouth City Patriots), Darius Defoe (Newcastle Eagles), Dirk Williams (Manchester Giants), Boban Jacdonmi (Surrey Scorchers), Sa\u2019eed Nelson (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n