IN this series each week, we take a look at the the strongest performing players at each position, to create our Team of the Week.

ROUND 9 of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) saw some cracking contests take place around Australia, with a number of standout performers leading their respective sides to victory. There were some big scores across the matches, and plenty of players hit the scoreboard in a big with some eye-catching points totals.

Point Guard – Jackie Young (Perth Lynx)

The first spot on this team goes to one of the Lynx’s import guards, who was terrific in her two outings this week. She was strong in the first match with 19 points and five boards, proving a vital contributor. Perth’s second game of the round saw an absence of leading scorer Marina Mabrey, but Young stepped up in a big way, pouring in a game-high 24 points and leading her side to victory.

Shooting Guard – Rebecca Cole (Southside Flyers)

The talented two-guard was only able to hit the court for one of the Flyers’ two matches for the round but her impact could not be understated. Against the Sydney Uni Flames, Cole did it all with 21 points, seven boards and five dimes as she drove her team to a thrilling three-point triumph as they look to move up the ladder in the coming weeks.

Small Forward – Anneli Maley (Bendigo Spirit)

Despite the Spirit copping a tough loss in their one outing of Round 9, there is no denying the efforts of Maley. Once again, she fought tooth and nail to give her side a much-needed spark on what was a tough day at the office. She finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, stuffing the stat sheet as she looked to give the Spirit as much as she had to offer.

Power Forward – Monique Billings (Townsville Fire)

The import forward was one of the most dominant figures throughout the round, producing a pair of standout performances, despite the Fire being unable to snag a win. In the team’s first match of Round 9, Billings was a powerful offensive presence with 27 points and seven boards, before backing this up a few days later with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds to once again lead her side in scoring.

Center – Mikaela Ruef (UC Capitals)

Ruef was a force to be reckoned with in Round 9, delivering a big impact both on the scoreboard and on the glass. She recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the Capitals’ two matches for the weekend and was clearly terrific in both. In the first match of the round, she notched up 13 points and 10 boards, before improving on this a few days later with 20 points and 10 rebounds to close out a solid round.

BENCH

The first bench guard spot goes to Shyla Heal of the Sydney Uni Flames. While she had some quiet patches, her opening game of the round was terrific with 22 points and five assists as she drove her side to a slim win over the Bendigo Spirit.

Next up on the bench is Sami Whitcomb of the Perth Lynx. She was solid to start the round with 16 points, but much like her teammate in Young, Whitcomb lifted in the presence of Mabrey in the second match to finish with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists.

We might have to bend the rules a bit for the bench small forward spot, but we could not leave out Alanna Smith of the Adelaide Lightning, despite being listed as a power forward. She kicked off her ninth round of action with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a powerful outing, before backing this up with 14 points and eight boards to close out a solid weekend.

The next bench forward spot goes to Lauren Scherf of the Perth Wildcats. The rebounding machine was at it again over the course of Round 9. In Perth’s two matches for the round, she racked up a combined 27 rebounds as she fought to give her side first use whenever the ball was in dispute.

The final bench spot goes to Eziyoda Magbegor of the Melbourne Boomers. Despite the Boomers only taking to the court once for the round, Magbegor was still a standout for the weekend. In her team’s win over the Fire, she delivered a game high 20 points and was a big reason for the positive result.