AMES, IA – Four members of the Northeast Community College’s women’s basketball team have earned post-season honors.
Sophomores Mykala Baylor and Sierra Bell have been named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference’s (ICCAC) 2017-18 Division I All-Region First Team.
Baylor, a 6’ 2” forward from South Bend, IN, led the Hawks in scoring with 11.7 points per game and also led the team in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. Her defense was key for Northeast as well, as she averaged 1.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.
Bell, a 5’ 7” guard from Danville, IL, was known for her balanced approach on the court. She scored 10.9 points, grabbed 4.1 rebounds, dished out 3.3 assists, and recorded two steals per game.
Northeast had two other players named to ICCAC’s Division I All-Region Honorable Mention Team – Irene Sanz, a 5’ 10” freshman forward from Vilassar de Mar, Spain, and Judit Valls, a 6’ 1” sophomore from Sant Pol de Mar, Spain.
Northeast Coach Matt Svehla said it is a great honor to be named to the All-Region Team.
“We have had a very good season and the players are the ones who made it happen, so it is nice to see the players get recognition for their play.”
He said Baylor has been a great inside presence for the Hawks and demonstrated that she has been one of the top post players in the region for two years.
“Mykala was good on both ends of the court, but her ability to protect the rim bailed us out many times. She led the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game and rebounding percentage of 8.1 per game.”
“Sierra’s point guard play was very good for us,” Svehla said. “She was the leader on the floor and she played with good strength. When it is game time, she doesn’t back down from a challenge.”
Bell was Northeast’s second scoring leader at 10.9 points per game and led the team in assists and steals.
Svehla said Valls and Sanz are very worthy of their awards.
“Judit showed great consistency during the season and has a good basketball IQ. These two attributes allowed her to be a regular in our line-up because you just knew what you were going to get out of her each night.”
Valls led the team in field goals at 56-percent.
“Irene’s IQ is also very good, but it was probably her ability to shoot the three-point shot so well that separated herself from others,” he said.
Sanz shot 44.4-percent from behind the three-point-line.
The Hawks are one game away from a berth in the 2018 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament later this month in Lubbock, TX.
Northeast (25-4) will host Moberly (MO) Area Community College (31-0) on Friday, March 9, for the District K Championship. Moberly is currently ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division I poll. Game time is 6 p.m. at the Cox Activities Center on the Northeast campus in Norfolk.
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PHOTO IDs: Mykala Baylor, (left) and Sierra Bell.