Sophomore Quintet Paces SMCC Women’s Basketball in 2019-20
A quintet of sophomores led the South Mountain Women's Basketball team to a productive 2019-20 season and a playoff berth. Arianna Sanders, Hallie Price, Prima Chellis, Christina Willis and Jalisa Jackson had outstanding seasons as the Cougars qualified for the NJCAA Region I Division II playoffs for the second-straight season.
Chellis received multiple awards after the year's completion. She received Third-Team NJCAA All-America honors, Second Team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and All-Region I Division II First Team honors after her dynamic sophomore season. She averaged a team-leading 20.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during the regular season, topping the conference in scoring.
This season, Chellis scored 30 or more points six times and had 11 field goals in four contests. She poured in a season-best 37 points and finished 14 of 17 from the free-throw line in a game against Central Arizona.
On the glass, Chellis had 14 games with double-digit rebounds and had a season-high 16 boards twice. She also recorded a season-high nine steals in a home win over Phoenix College and dished out a season-high five assists in a contest at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
Chellis will head to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville to continue her intercollegiate career. The Cougars compete in NCAA Division I athletics in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Willis was one of three sophomores to average over eight points per game, finishing second on the team in scoring at 8.8 ppg, shooting 40.6 percent from the field. She scored a season-high 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting in a significant victory over Tohono O'odham Community College that helped secure a playoff bid.
She led the Cougars in assists, dishing out a season-best five dimes in a win at Mesa Community College. Willis posted a season-high seven rebounds in four different games, and she had eight games with at least four steals.
Sanders was third on the team in scoring at an average of 8.7 ppg. She was the team's top 3-point shooter, connecting on a team-high 46 this season. Sanders knocked down a season-high six 3-pointers in four games and scored a season-high 24 points in a contest at Arizona Western.
In other statistics, Sanders had a season-high five rebounds in a contest at Phoenix College. She also had a season-high four steals in four times.
Halle Price averaged 8.2 points for the year and had a season-high 18 points and five assists in a win over Arizona Western on Feb. 12. Price posted a season-high four steals in three different occasions,
Although she stands at 5-8, Price averaged 3.2 rebounds per game and had a season-high 10 boards in a road win at Glendale Community College.
Jackson is a 5-8 guard who averaged 5.4 points and 5.5 rebounds for the season. She was second on the team in rebounding and had four games with double-figure boards.
Offensively, Jackson scored a season-high 14 points and knocked down six free throws in a home win over Glendale Community College. She also had two games with four steals and scored in double-figures on four occasions.
The team also featured several newcomers who gained invaluable experience throughout the season.
Renisha Begay, a 5-7 guard, started more than half of the Cougars' games this year, averaging 3.6 points on 37.9 percent shooting from the field. She scored a season-high 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting in a loss at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
A 5-5 forward, Makala Norman averaged 3.7 points and appeared in more than half of the Cougars' games. She finished with a season-high 11 points in a road win at Scottsdale Community College.
Another freshman who appeared in more than half games, Naibe Barnes, had a crucial five points in a 78-74 victory against Phoenix College. Rookies Yazmin Mendoza, Kristian Lamb and Kayson Maakestad all saw some action this season as well.
The team opened the year with victories in two of its first three games, defeating Stone Child College and Wayne County Community College. The Cougars recorded their first conference victories with back-to-back home wins against Scottsdale Community College and Eastern Arizona.
When the calendar turned to 2020, SMCC won four of five games in mid-January. The Cougars recorded notable wins over Tohono O'odham Community College, Mesa Community College, Phoenix College and Scottsdale Community College.
Down the stretch, South Mountain Community College secured its place in the postseason with victories over Glendale Community College, Arizona Western College and Tohono O'odham Community College.
With the departure of the sophomores, Coach Byron Jackson will retool the squad using his experienced returning players to go with a new group of recruits as the Cougars hunt for a third-straight playoff berth.