For the third time this season the Women’s player of the Week Award is heading to Gladstone. This time the Powers inspirational Capitan/Coach Jessica Bibby is the recipient of the award. Bibby was at her point scoring best in Round 6, racking up 47 points @ 55.1% in the Powers win against the then second placed Force. The following day Bibby played the full 40 minutes again and finished with 26pts @ 40.7%, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, as the Power were forced to work hard for their win against a determined Toowoomba side. After 6 Rounds of competition Bibby is the league’s leading point scorer averaging a phenomenal 34.9ppg, which is 6.8 points clear of her nearest rival. Jessica has been one of the most dominant players in the QBL over the past three seasons and 2011 is shaping up to be her most productive season to date.

Bibby is a five-time WNBL Champion with her most recent title coming in the 2009/10 season with the Canberra Capitals. She has also won Championships with Canberra in 2006/07, 2008/09 season, with 2007/08 being her most prolific season averaging a career-high 16.1ppg. Before joining Canberra, Jess played 164 games for the Dandenong Rangers, which included nine finals appearances and two WNBL Championships (2003/2004 and 2004/2005). During her time with Dandenong Jessica was named the Betty Watson Rookie of the Year in 1996 and she scored 1702 points for the Rangers, with her finest individual performances coming in the 2000/01 playoffs where she averaged 17.0pgg.

Jessica’s talent was recognised abroad when she was drafted by WNBA side New York Liberty in 2000. Despite battling a back injury she still managed to play 69 minutes over 17 games for the Liberty in her debut season. Bibby made her Opals debut in 2009 during a series against China before earning selection for the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship where she scored 14 points in game one before top-scoring in game two with 19 points.

Other notable performances around the league in Round 6 came from; Mackay’s Rachel Allison (34 points & 14 rebounds) and Tami Willey (23 points, 10 rebounds & 4 assists) who were instrumental in the Meteorettes win over Caboolture. For the Suns, Rachel Warren had a solid weekend in her sides’ losses to Mackay and Rockhampton, averaging 20.5ppg and 10rpg. Bundaberg’s imports Kisha Lee (22 points, 9 rebounds & 5 steals) and Yvonne Turner (20 points, 6 rebounds & 5 assists) led the Bears to their first ever win over the Flames, while Aroon Edgar was gallant for the Flames in the loss with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Rebecca Haynes (14 points and 22 rebounds) and Hannah Bowley (22 points @ 58.8%) provided Bibby with plenty of support against the Force, while youngsters Tora Laffin (20 points @ 72.7%) and Keely Cummings (16 points and 11 rebounds) made the most of their court time in the win over Toowoomba. Cairns “Big 3” were again at the forefront of the Dolphins win over the Capitals, with Rohanne Cox finishing with the impressive statistics of 27 points @ 54.2% and 11 rebounds. Northside’s Louise Mclean (22 points @ 88.9%, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals) was tremendous as the Wizards defeated the Rollers 86-59, while Carine Reimink was again the Rollers best with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Nicole Romeo continued to push her MVP credentials with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Suns.