Holiday Cheer for OCCAC Players of the Week

By Kyle Kuhlman/OCCAC Sports Information

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Four conference hoopers earned gifts during the holiday break, picking up Week 8’s OCCAC Player of the Week accolades. Owens and Sinclair split the D-II awards with Dai’Shona Washington-Polk (Owens) and LiDonta Hicks-Gentry (Sinclair) coming home to stuffed stockings while Lorain County’s Angel Blakely and Mike Rell opened up the D-III presents.  

DAI’SHONA WASHINGTON-POLK
Owens Community College
Freshman guard/forward

Washington-Polk averaged 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in victorious efforts over Mott and Macomb Community Colleges. She posted nine points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals as the Express cruised past Mott, 84-52, to start the week. Washington-Polk stepped it up a notch in a tight 66-57 contest versus Macomb (a team receiving votes in the most recent NJCAA national poll) with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. She buried 6-of-9 field goals in that game, adding three steals and a block. For the week, Washington-Polk shot 50% (10-20) from the floor with additional per game averages of 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 assists.

Owens becomes the fifth different school to snare an OCCAC D-II Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honor this season and Washington-Polk is the first member of the Express to do so since Feb. 26, 2017.

ANGEL BLAKELY
Lorain County Community College
Sophomore forward

Blakely has won the weekly award in four of the last five weeks, including back-to-back-to-back. This week, she contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist despite the Commodores coming up short in an 82-63 defeat to Westmoreland County. Blakely converted on 7-of-13 field goal attempts in the team’s lone contest of the week.

Lorain County has now represented the D-III player of the week in six of eight weeks following Hannah Oehlstrom’s back-to-back distinctions to start the season.  

LIDONTA HICKS-GENTRY
Sinclair Community College
Sophomore forward

Hicks-Gentry knocked down 11 field goals (on 15 attempts) and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to score 25 points in an 84-68 triumph over the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He made it a double-double by adding 11 rebounds. Hicks-Gentry was turnover-free in earning his second career OCCAC Player of the Week distinction (Jan. 22, 2017).

He is the second Sinclair representative from the men’s side this season as Quantes Jackson won the award on Nov. 13.  

MIKE RELL
Lorain County Community College
Sophomore guard

Rell grabbed his second laurel in the last three weeks following a stretch in which he tallied per game averages of 18.0 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He began the week with 14 points and three assists versus the Valley Forge Military College. Rell then dropped in 22 more points, six assists and four boards against the Community College of Philadelphia later in the week. Lorain County improved to 12-0 on the year with the pair of victories. Rell was a sharp shooter, hitting 13-of-23 field goal attempts, 3-of-6 from long range and all seven foul shots.

Lorain County now owns five of the eight OCCAC D-III Men’s Player of the Week awards this season, gathered by four different student-athletes:

Nov. 6 – Daniel Lott; Nov. 13 Jovon Jones; Nov. 27 – Jake Schutlz; Dec. 11, 25 – Mike Rell