OCCAC Honors Four Student-Athletes With D-II, D-III POTW Recognition

By Nicholas Huenefeld/OCCAC Sports Information

Springfield, Ohio---Li-Donta Hicks-Gentry, Taylor Johnson, Hunter Kershaw and TJ Steele have been named the OCCAC D-II and D-III player of the week recipients for games played Jan. 16-22.

NJCAA Division II OCCAC WBB Player of the Week
Taylor Johnson, Clark State C.C.

Johnson averaged 16.5 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game for Clark State in a pair of losses last week. She opened the week with 17 points, seven rebounds and one steal in an 88-50 loss to Sinclair, and then she closed the week with 16 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist in a 98-28 loss to Owens.

Johnson, who joined the team just a few weeks ago, is now averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and 1.7 steals per game this year for Clark State, who is now 2-10 overall and 1-6 in OCCAC play. Her team will be back in action Saturday at home against Hocking College.

NJCAA Division III OCCAC WBB Player of the Week
Hunter Kershaw, Columbus State C.C.

Kershaw averaged 19.5 points, eight rebounds and one assist as her team split a pair of games against Cuyahoga and Edison. The sophomore center opened the week with 12 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in a 66-60 loss to Cuyahoga. She then had 27 points, eight rebounds and one assist in an 86-82 win over Edison.

Kershaw is now averaging 16.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists per game for Columbus State (6-10, 3-4 OCCAC). She is 13 points away from 700 in her career, and her team will be back in action on Saturday at Lorain County.

NJCAA Division II MBB Player of the Week
LiDonta Hicks-Gentry, Sinclair C.C.

Hicks-Gentry had a great week as his team won two of three games played. The freshman forward averaged 17 points, 16.9 rebounds, two assists and 1.7 steals per game. He opened the week with 20 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and one steal in a 104-59 win over Lakeland. On Wednesday, he had 18 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist in an 89-42 win over Clark State, and he closed the week with 13 points, 18 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover in a 93-63 loss to Cuyahoga.

Hicks-Gentry is now averaging 11.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game for Sinclair this year. His team is now 16-4 overall and 4-3 in OCCAC play entering Saturday's home game against Edison.

NJCAA Division III MBB Player of the Week
TJ Steele, Lorain County C.C.

Steele, who was also named the NJCAA Division III national player of the week for his performance last week, averaged 35.5 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and one steal per game as his team picked up a pair of wins over Lakeland and Hocking.

In a 100-91 win over Lakeland, Steele had 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. He then broke his school's single game scoring record with 47 points four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 130-93 win over Hocking. In the second game, he finished 18-for-21 from the field, 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the foul line.

Steele is now averaging 24.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Lorain County, who is 11-7 overall and 4-5 in OCCAC play. His team will be back in action on Saturday at home against Columbus State.