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| Andre Simon has worked on
improving his game and is taking a lead role for Randolph-Macon as
a senior. Randolph-Macon athletics photo |
It isn't difficult to take notice of the strides Andre Simon has made during his basketball career at Randolph-Macon.
He scored only 14 points as a freshman, pushed that total to 324 as a sophomore and finished with 369 points a year ago. He averaged 11.9 points per game last year, his second straight season in double figures.
Simon is even better this season.
In 15 starts, the 6-4 senior forward out of Newport News, Va., is the team's leading scorer at 15.1 points per outing. He is also pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game and has racked up 17 steals. His efforts have helped catapult the Yellow Jackets into contention for a second consecutive Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship.
When Simon was asked what improvements he has made to his game, he talked about the intensity he brings to the gym and the work he put in during the offseason to be ready to make the most of his senior season.
"Things have gone well," Simon said. "I've been more aggressive this year and my teammates have a lot of trust in me. I also had the opportunity to learn a lot from some great players here."
And about the offseason?
I worked a lot on being able to go left more," Simon said. "I don't want to be a one-dimensional player and I put in the work to help me be the best player I could be this season."
Simon played at Menchville High School and an honorable mention all-district selection two times during his career. He also played two years of football. But basketball was his game, and while he said he considered a few other options coming out of high school, including the possibility of going to a prep school first, he chose to stay in his home state and play for the Yellow Jackets.
"The game was definitely a lot faster and a lot more physical than high school," Simon said. "It took some time to make the adjustment, but I learned that to be successful you had to be ready to play every night, and you had to play hard."
What helped Simon in the transition was his ability to be successful in the classroom as well. He was a member of the National Honor Society and an honor roll student in high school. He has maintained those high standards for himself at Randolph-Macon and his intelligence in the classroom has paid off on the court as well.
"It's all about managing time and making sure you take care of things off the court. It's just as important as what you do on the court," Simon said. "I think learning to be patient and let things come to you has helped me in both class and in basketball. It's helped me to stay focused and be successful at both."
Success is what the Yellow Jackets have been all about. They are 11-4 overall and are in a tie for first place in the conference with Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.
No one is looking ahead, though, to a championship just yet. Because the league is so competitive, Simon said it's easy to stay focused on the task at hand.
"Our conference is very tough and we can't go into a game just expecting to win. We have to be ready to play every night," Simon said. "We only focus on the game in front of us and our coaches do a good job of preparing us to play."
Randolph-Macon was 21-10 a year ago and advanced to the Sweet 16. The Yellow Jackets are poised for another tournament run this year behind a balanced attack where seven players have led the team in scoring during a game at some point this season.
Connor Sullivan has hit 27 3-pointers and is averaging 12.6 points per outing. Joe Hassell is clicking for 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He has also blocked 12 shots. Marcus Badger is averaging 10.1 points per outing and has dished out 62 assists. The Yellow Jackets have three other players averaging at least six points per outing and average 80.9 points per outing as a team.
"There isn't pressure on one guy to step up," Simon said. "We know we can count on each other and we play very well together as a team. It's played a big part in our success."
So has leadership.
"I try to lead by example by playing hard in every game and showing the younger players what you have to do be ready to play well at this level," Simon said.
Simon is confident the Yellow Jackets can stay on course for a conference title and NCAA tournament berth if they remained focus and continue to make strides as the season rolls on.
He would love to add a third ODAC title to his list of accomplishments and play in the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
No matter how it all plays out, he is thankful he had a chance to play college basketball.
"It's definitely been a blessing," Simon said. "I've enjoyed playing here and have had an opportunity to be around some great players. We know how good we can be when we play up to our potential, and hopefully we can continue to play well and give ourselves a chance to be successful in the postseason.
American Southwest Conference
Men: Jordan Cannon scored 22 points and Texas-Tyler moved into a tie for third in the standings with a 90-70 win over Louisiana College on Saturday. Cannon also grabbed eight rebounds as the Patriots improved to 9-6 overall and to 8-4 in the ASC.
Chris Rios dropped in 16 points and Bryce Kemp scored 13 points for the Patriots, who have won two consecutive games.
Women: Sarah Van Remmen and Kalin Hanna both turned in double-double efforts for Howard Payne as it rolled to a 71-57 win over LeTourneau on Saturday. Van Remmen came through with 13 points and 13 rebounds while Hanna scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Hanna also blocked five shots. Danyel Bradley nearly rang up a double-double as well. She dropped in 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Bradley also dished out four assists and racked up five steals for Howard Payne, which is 9-6 overall and 8-4 in the ASC.
Great South Athletic Conference
Kellie Bacon celebrated her birthday in style Saturday as she led Wesleyan to a 67-49 win over Agnes Scott. It is only the second time in a decade that the Wolves have beaten the Scotties. Bacon scored 25 points, handed out four assists and racked up four steals as the Wolves improved to 2-11 overall. The win snaps a six-game losing streak.
Nevia Lewis scored 19 points and Jasmine Davis nearly had her second double-double of the season as she scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The Wolves shot 41.4 percent from the field, their best shooting percentage of the season.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Men: Jordan Herron came through with his fifth double-double of the season and Albion remained in a tie for first place with a 70-56 win over Adrian on Saturday. Herron scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Britons pushed their record to 9-6 overall and to 3-1 in the conference.
Herron was one of four players in double figures for the Britons, who shot 51.2 percent from the field and limited the Bulldogs to 39.6 percent shooting. Albion took control with a back-breaking 24-0 run in the first half as it stormed into halftime with a convincing 40-13 lead. The Britons trailed 5-4 before Hill ignited the run with a trey.
Women: Adrian moved above the .500 mark on Saturday as it held off Alma 77-68 on the road.
Lauren Rhoads and LaQwana Dockery scored 19 points apiece to pave the way for the Bulldogs, who are 8-7 overall and 4-3 in the MIAA. Rhoads was averaging just 7.9 points per game on the road but has scored in double figures in five of the last six games.
Brigitte Zavithsanos came off the bench to score 10 points for Adrian, which led 34-32 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.
North Coast Athletic Conference
Men: Wooster came out on top in a battle of top 10 teams as it knocked off Wittenberg 69-62 on Saturday in a crucial NCAC road game. The second-ranked Fighting Scots led 34-19 at halftime and then survived a furious second-half rally by the No. 9 Tigers.
Wooster, which is 14-1 overall and 8-0 in the conference, has a two-game lead in the standings and Scott Purcell led the way with 14 points. He drilled three treys in the win.
Women: DePauw could have easily seen its impressive win streak come to an end, but the defending national champions shook off a 13-0 deficit and roared back to life to handle Ohio Wesleyan 76-61 on Saturday.
The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the nation, extended their win streak to 50 games, the third-longest in D-III history and the seventh-longest of any level of women's basketball.
Hannah Douglas led the way with 15 points. She also dished out four assists. Emma Ondik scored 14 points and Alex Gasaway finished with 11 poits. Savannah Trees and Alison Stephens scored 10 points apiece. Stephens grabbed 11 rebounds as well.
Ohio Athletic Conference
Men: Matt Dennis turned in the best performance of his career on Saturday, scoring a career-high 21 points as he led Baldwin Wallace to an 89-73 win over Muskingum. Dennis also grabbed 12 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 8-7 overall and to 4-4 in the OAC.
Kyle Payne also came through with a double-double, the fifth of his career, as he lit up the scoreboard for 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Payne pushed his career point total to 1,404 points, putting him in 12th all-time.
Women: Ohio Northern stretched its win streak to three games on Saturday with a 60-52 win over Capital.
The Polar Bears improved to 12-3 overall and to 5-3 in the OAC behind 16 points from Carly Thomas. Thomas also tallied two rebounds and three assists. Jordan Kimes finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three blocks and Sara Kocian scored eight points to go along with a season-best six rebounds.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Men: Lynchburg rallied from a five-point deficit in the second half and held off Washington and Lee 71-66 on Saturday. The Hornets have won two consecutive games. Lynchburg led 32-28 at the half but trailed 41-36 early in the second half and were eventually down 56-51 as well.
Alex Graves and Zack Burnett scored 13 points apiece to pace the Hornets, who are 11-4 overall and 4-2 in the ODAC. Graves scored all of his points in the second half.
Women: Roanoke continued its win streak on Saturday, pushing it to five games with a 78-64 win over Bridgewater.
The Maroons, who are 7-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference, are averaging 73 points per game during the win streak and holding opponents to 54.9 points per outing.
Paxton Gwin paved the way, dropping in 24 points. She also grabbed 12 rebounds and moved into 12th on the all-time scoring list with 1,121 points.
Presidents' Athletic Conference
Men: Grove City ended a run of nine consecutive losses to Mercer County rival Thiel as it held on for a 57-54 win over the Tomcats on Saturday. Thiel had two opportunities to force overtime but both 3-pointers were missed, the last as time expired.
Mitch Marmelstein led the way as he scored 20 points. Marmelstein missed only three of his 10 attempts from the field. He scored 17 of his points in the first half as the Wolverines rolled into halftime with a 34-21 lead.
Women: Waynesburg won for the fifth time in six games as it knocked off Chatham 92-54 on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have won two consecutive games and are 8-7 overall and 6-2 in the conference.
Haley Delaney paced the Yellow Jackets with 14 points. Elaine Hasek and Rebecca Kerr finished with 11 points apiece and Brooke Simons scored 10 points. A total of 13 players scored for Waynesburg, which shot 43.8 percent from the field and tallied 18 assists.
Southern Athletic Association
Men: Centre dominated the first half of its game against Sewanee on Saturday and rolled to an 84-45 win to maintain a share of first place in the league standings. Centre has won five consecutive games and ended Sewanee's 14-game home win streak.
The Colonels, who are 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the league, finished the first half on a 28-4 run and led 43-14 at the half. It did not allow a field goal in the final 10:47 of the half as they took control of the game.
Collin Lopez paved the way with 17 points. He hit all seven of his shots from the field. Blake Scinta scored 12 points while Tyler Wesley finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Donovan Whiteside scored 10 points.
Women: Velvet Johnson scored 17 points and Millsaps shot 58 percent from the field as it knocked off Rust 74-40 on Saturday.
The Majors led 27-19 at halftime and outscored the Bearcats 47-21 in the second half en route to the convincing win. Rust dressed only seven players because of injuries and school commitments. Johnson also pulled down eight rebounds while Samantha Perez dished out seven assists. Millsaps scored 18 points off 22 turnovers as it improved to 8-6 on the season.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Men: Schreiner won its seventh consecutive game on Saturday, knocking off the University of Dallas 72-62, and the win streak is the longest in at least a decade for the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers used their depth to get the job done as eight players scored at least five points. Wes Miller led the way with 13 points and he also pulled down four rebounds. Steve Guerrero scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists and Maverick Harris clicked for 10 points as Schreiner improved to 9-7 overall and to 5-0 in the conference. The Mountaineers are the lone unbeaten team in the SCIAC.
Women: Southwestern put up its second highest scoring total of the season on Saturday as it rolled to a 91-57 win over Centenary.
The Pirates led 56-20 at halftime and never looked back as they stretched their win streak to three games. Southwestern is 6-9 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Chelsea Leader paced the Pirates with 18 points and Annie Bourne came through with a double-double as she scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Madison Eschle came off the bench and scored 15 points.
USA South Athletic Conference
Men: Averett used a 23-2 run in the second half of its game against Huntingdon on Sunday and went on to rally for a 93-83 win over the Hawks. The Cougars trailed 60-52 with just over 13 minutes to play before taking the momentum back.
Bradley Robinson torched the Hawks for 26 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds. Charles Bryant came through with a career-high 19 points and he grabbed eight rebounds as well.
Women: Shanita Hampton scored 22 points and helped Greensboro take down Piedmont 88-62 on Sunday.
Syerra Troutman finished with 15 points and Chevena Pickard, who was honored prior to the game for reaching the 1,000-point milestone earlier this season, scored eight points, dished out five assists and tallied three steals.
Greensboro shot 41.7 percent and held Piedmont to 34.8 percent shooting. The Pride improved to 9-3 overall and to 5-1 in the conference.
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