Cheeks has outstanding week with NAIA, Conference honors
From Reinhardt, Lee reports WALESKA, Ga.
— Reinhardt freshman and former Sonoraville High standout Rebecca Cheeks has been named NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on the heels of winning her third Appalachian Athletic Conference Player of the Week honor this season. The award was announced by the NAIA national office in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday afternoon.
A Ranger, Ga., native, Cheeks has helped lead Reinhardt to its best start in program history. Last week, the freshman averaged 27 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in helping the Lady Eagles to a pair of wins. Against Columbia, Cheeks netted 29 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, both season-bests, as the Lady Eagles held on to win, 66-62. Two days later at Union, Cheeks scored 25 points and added eight rebounds in Reinhardt’s 79-63 victory. The wins pushed Reinhardt’s winning streak to nine games, which was then stretched to 10 with yesterday’s 60-48 win at Truett McConnell.
Cheeks now leads the AAC in scoring in conference games, averaging 20.5 points per game. She’s second in rebounding in conference games at 10.1 per contest. The freshman ranks in the top 25 in six different categories, including sixth in total rebounds (179), 10th in rebounds per game (9.94) and 21st in points per game (17.33).
With the award, Cheeks becomes the first Reinhardt women’s basketball player to be named NAIA Player of the Week in the school’s Division II era. She is also the first national player of the week for Reinhardt since Ryan Thompson of the RU football team won the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week honor Oct. 13, 2015.
With a conference record of 9-1, the No. 22-ranked Lady Eagles are in first place in the AAC standings with a twogame lead over Milligan and Tennessee Wesleyan.
In other recent college basketball news:
Cheeks earns third AAC Player of the Week award WALESKA, Ga.
— Reinhardt’s Rebecca Cheeks has been named Appalachian Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the third time this season following her stellar performances last week against conference foes Columbia and Union. The award was announced by the conference office Monday afternoon.
A Ranger, Ga., native, Cheeks averaged 27.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in RU’s two wins last week. Against Columbia, the freshman scored 29 points and had 19 rebounds, both season-highs, in a 66-62 victory. Two nights later, Cheeks scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Lady Eagles defeated Union 79-63 in a match-up of two teams receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.
Cheeks currently leads Reinhardt in points per game (17.06) and rebounds per game (9.71). She leads the AAC in points per game in conference games with 20.33, and her rebounds per game mark of 9.67 in conference games ranks her third behind teammate Bria White and Milligan’s Sarah Robinson, who each have 9.78.
The award marks the third time this season that Cheeks has received the AAC honor. She previously took home the honor Dec. 12 and Dec. 19.
The Lady Eagles are currently 16-1 and riding a program-best nine game winning streak.
Cheeks’ late block helps Lee to double-overtime win
Thanks to some key defensive stops and clutch foul shooting down the stretch the Lee women’s basketball team outlasted West Florida, 89-86 in a double-overtime thriller from Walker Arena on Monday evening.
Freshman Lindsey Roddy darted to the hoop and scored with just two seconds left in regulation to tie things up at 67 for the Lady Flames. Former Sonoraville High standout Carrie Cheeks followed by delivering a huge block on the other end to send the contest into the first overtime. Cheeks finished the game with four blocks.
West Florida’s Katie O’Neal hit two clutch free throws with four seconds left in the first overtime to tie things up at 75. With no timeouts the Lady Flames had to travel the length of the court and were unable to get a good look at a winning shot.
In the second overtime the Lady Flames used an early 6-0 run and converted at the foul line late to hold on for the victory.
“We got numerous big stops and we made free throws down the stretch. It was nice to see us handle the basketball with composure in such a tight game,” said head coach Marty Rowe.
“We are very similar to them, long and athletic and have multiple people that can score so I think that’s why we play such close games against West Florida.”
Junior guard Erin Walsh delivered a game-high 26 points and hit four triples and 8 of 9 foul shots to lead the Lady Flames. Roddy added 18 points and eight rebounds while Abby Bertram stepped up with 15 points and five boards.
Courtney Meyer tallied 12 points and cleaned up the glass with 20 rebounds for the Argonauts as they displayed a balanced scoring attack with five players reaching double-figures. Imani Mulmore’s 20 points paced the scoring effort while O’Neal added 18 points, including 9 of 10 from the line. Toni Brewer followed with 15 and seven rebounds while Katie Bobos had 11 points and 10 boards.
The Lady Flames converted 10 3-pointers and limited West Florida to just 3 of 24 from beyond the arc. The Argonauts got to the line 40 times but cashed in just 27 (67.5 percent). The Lady Flames were 23 of 31 from the foul line, good for 74.2 percent.
The Lee defensive buckled down forcing 18 turnovers while swatting away 11 shots and swiping six steals. “I was so proud of the energy and determination we showed in the game. We defended with purpose and showed a lot of heart and that’s something we’ve talked about that’s been missing at times in our play,” said a pleased Rowe. “We’ve got a big road trip coming up so we’ll enjoy this one tonight and see if we can’t continue to get better each and every day.”
The double-overtime classic should come as no surprise to fans. Lady Flames and Argonauts played three times last season and the three contests were decided by a grand total of seven points.
The victory moves Lee back into a tie for first place in the Gulf South Conference. The Lady Flames improve to 10-3 overall and are 5-2 in league play. The loss drops West Florida into the same record at 10-3 and 5-2.