Salem has only played 15 games vs. Division III opponents but can wrap up an automatic bid in two weeks at the GSAC tournament. Salem athletics photo

Satavia Taylor is from Chicago, where basketball typically takes center stage.

Playing on that stage can prove beneficial to a player in the long run because of the fierce competitive nature of the game in the city.

Taylor, who has established herself as a star at Salem College, will tell you the experience has served her well in college.

"It teaches you to be tough," said Taylor, who was a star at Roosevelt High School in the Chicago Public League, averaging more than 30 points per year as a senior.

"You learn to be tough mentally and physically. I was around a lot of great players and the coaches I had were great teachers."

Satavia went on to play at Cloud Community College in Kansas, but has spent the past two years at Salem where she has been nothing short of sensational.

Taylor was named the Great South Athletic Conference Player of the Year a year ago as she helped the Spirits enjoy their most successful season since the 2006-07 campaign. They finished 17-11 overall and 9-3 in the conference.

She crushed several single-season school records along the way, setting marks for points (434), scoring average (17.4), field goals made and attempted (155-of-415), 3-pointers made (66), steals (92) and blocks (49).

Taylor hasn't missed a beat this season, and the Spirits have soared through their best program in school history because of it.

The senior forward is averaging 23.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for a Salem team that wrapped up the regular season with a 19-4 record, though just 12-3 vs. Division III opponents. She has knocked down 65 3-pointers, dished out 38 assists, blocked 48 shots and racked up 74 steals.

"Things have gone pretty well for me this year, especially with scoring and rebounding," Taylor said. "I'm having fun and winning is definitely a plus."

For Salem, this is the first time the program has been at this level in Division III. The Spirits, who will head into the conference tournament next weekend as the No. 1 seed in Washington, D.C., have to be considered favorites in the new-look Great South Athletic Conference, which features schools from such remote outposts as Presque Isle, Maine, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, as well as Salem, Agnes Scott and Wesleyan (Ga.), who played in the league when it was a more traditional conference.

Senior center Jasmine Shabazz is averaging 12.8 points per outing and grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Bria Patterson is averaging 10.2 points per game.

"We've built up a lot of trust in each other," Taylor said. "I would not be doing an interview about my success if it wasn't for my teammates. We have each others' backs and we have stuck together as a team all season."

Taylor, though, is the focal point of an opposing defense. Teams know they have to slow down Taylor if they want a shot at success against the Spirits.

Because of what she had accomplished as a junior, Taylor knew she would have to work even harder in the offseason to be ready to deal with the challenges she would face during her senior season.

"I knew it was going to be rough because teams were going to focus more on me, but I got into the gym and worked hard in the offseason," Taylor said. "I took a lot of shots and focused on becoming the best player I could be."

It certainly paid off and she is poised to make the final games of her career memorable.

Taylor knows what it's like to succeed at the college level against the best in the nation. While playing junior college basketball in Kansas, she helped her team finish seventh in the national tournament.

Now, it's time to prove the Spirits can win a conference tournament title and make noise in the NCAA tournament. Salem has only lost once since Nov. 23, and only three of its wins have been by less than 10 points.

"We had a great regular season and are going into the (GSAC) tournament as the No. 1 seed," Taylor said. "We want to win the tournament and prove that we are capable of being successful in the NCAA tournament."

Salem hasn't played since capping the regular season with an 84-35 win over Wesleyan (Ga.) on Sunday. The Spirits won't play again until Feb. 21.

Until then, the Spirits are hard at work getting ready for postseason play.

"Practices have been pretty intense," Taylor said. "Our coach has done a great job of getting ready and we know we have to be focused and ready to play our best if we want to be successful."

Taylor has learned to be successful in the classroom as well, balancing academics with athletics, and is a communications major. She is minoring in coaching and hopes to be a coach one day.

Her career as a coach, though, will be on hold until after she pursues her career of playing basketball overseas.

"I would love to be a coach one day, but first I want to continue playing basketball," Taylor said. "I know people will say I'm a good player, but I know I have a lot of work to do. I have to work a lot harder and make myself a better player if I'm going to play at the next level."

American Southwest Conference

Men: Concordia scored more than 100 points for the fourth time this season in its 104-73 win over LeTourneau on Saturday. Dwayne Patterson paved the way with 27 points to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Andre Potts also turned in a big game as he scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Tornados, who improved to 16-5 overall and to 13-5 in the conference. The Tornados led by as many as 37 as they won for the fifth time in six games.

Women: It hasn't always been easy this season for Ozarks, but the Eagles have played well lately, winning their second consecutive game on Saturday with a 66-61 win over Howard Payne. It was the fourth win in the last five games for the Eagles, who are 8-13 overall and 7-11 in the ASC. Taylor Farmer led the way with 23 points. Kindra Davis scored 19 points and Ashley Hipps clicked for 15 points as the Eagles moved into a tie for seventh in the standings.

Great South Athletic Conference

Finlandia made it to the .500 mark on the season with a 75-64 win over Silver Lake on Sunday. The Lions have won their last six games and are 10-10 on the season. Brierra Ruska rose to the occasion as she scored 26 points. She connected on 11 of her 15 shots from the field. Ruska also pulled down four rebounds and tallied three steals.

Paige Yoho finished with 15 points and dished out six assists. Marissa Burke came through with a double-double in the win as she scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Men: Trine nearly made school history with its hot shooting touch on Saturday in an 84-68 win over Kalamazoo.

The Thunder shot a sizzling 65.2 percent from the field, the second-best shooting percentage since Trine made the jump from the NAIA. The best shooting percentage was 67.4 percent against Franklin in 2008.

Jared Holmquist scored a career-high 25 points as he missed on only one of his 10 attempts from the field.  Will Dixon scored 20 points and has scored 20 or more in a game five times this season. Tyler Good finished with 16 points and Dustin Hall handed out a season-best nine assists. The Thunder improved to 13-8 overall and is in third in the MIAA standings with a 6-4 mark.

Women: Kalamazoo remained in contention for a conference tournament bid as it knocked off Saint Mary's (Ind.) 71-66 on Saturday.

The Hornets are in fourth in the standings and hold a two-game lead over Adrian for the final berth as they improved to 12-8 overall and to 8-4 in the MIAA.

Kalamazoo shot 40.7 percent from the field and Nicole Antoine led the way with 14 points and nine rebounds. Emily Lindsay scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds.

North Coast Athletic Conference

Men: Austin Burton crushed his previous career-high point total and helped lead Wabash to a 72-56 win over Allegheny on Saturday. Burton scored 19 points for the Little Giants and led Wabash to its second consecutive win. His previous career-high was 10 points.

The Little Giants are 7-13 overall and 6-8 in the NCAC, sitting in sixth place in the standings. Kyle Alton scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds for Wabash, which led 32-16 at halftime before hanging on in the second half for the win.

Women: Katelyn Haralamos nailed a clutch shot at the buzzer to lift Wittenberg to a 63-61 win over Allegheny on Saturday. Her off-balance jumper in the lane as time expired secured the win as the Tigers improved to 12-8 overall and to 7-5 in the conference.

Wittenberg won its second consecutive game and moved into a tie for fourth place in the conference. The Tigers shot 39.1 percent from the field and Hannah

Schroeder, who dished out the assist on the game-winning shot, scored 17 points to pace the Tigers.

Haralamos finished with 15 points and also came through with five rebounds and four steals.

Wittenberg held Allegheny to 33 percent shooting from the floor.

Ohio Athletic Conference

Men: Kevin Krakowiak torched Wilmington for 29 points as Baldwin Wallace earned an impressive 65-61 road win over the Quakers on Saturday. Wilmingto entered the game in third place in the OAC.

Krakowiak pushed his career point total to 1,282 in the win and ranks 16th all-time. Kyle Pane finished with seven points and raised his scoring total to 1,482 points, which ranks 12th all-time. Their efforts helped the Yellow Jackets improve to 11-10 overall and 7-7 in the OAC.

R.J. Leppert scored 17 points to lead Wilmington.

Women: John Carroll inched closer to its first OAC title in program history after knocking off Capital 80-64 on Saturday.

The Blue Streaks have won the last three games against their rival, and 16-point margin of victory is the most John Carroll has ever beaten Capital by in the all-time series.

Missy Spahar scored 18 points to pave the way and also pulled down 12 rebounds as John Carroll improved to 17-2 overall and to 11-2 in the conference.

Beth Switzler finished with 16 points and Emily Taylor scored 12 points to go along with four assists. Katlyn Spahar finished with 12 points and also handed out three assists.

The Blue Streaks shot 43.1 percent from the field and held Capital to 31.7 percent shooting from the field.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Men: Hampden-Sydney picked up a key win on Saturday as it completed a season sweep of Eastern Mennonite with a 79-68 win at home. The victory gives the Tigers

the edge for conference tournament consideration over the Royals should the two teams tie at the end of the season.

JaVonte Reddick scored a career-high 20 points to pace the Tigers, who improved to 12-9 overall and to 6-6 in the ODAC.  Reddick was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line and grabbed five rebounds.

Alex Smith clicked for a career-high 12 points and also stepped up on defense as he held Royals leading scorer Marcel Crump to just 3 points.

Hampden-Sydney shot 43.8 percent from the field and held Eastern Mennonite to 39 percent shooting form the floor.

Women: Randolph-Macon used a balanced attack to knock off Hollins 83-71 and win its third consecutive game.

Sarah Parsons led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points. She went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Taylor Huber scored 11 points while Katie Anderson and Hannah Livermon scored 10 points apiece. Anderson added five rebounds, three assists and a block to her stat line.

The Yellow Jackets shot only 35.4 percent from the field but held a 46-41 edge on the boards. Randolph-Macon also scored 35 points off 30 turnovers as it capitalized on a strong defensive effort as well to earn the win.

Presidents' Athletic Conference

Men: Delonte Joyce turned in his second consecutive effort of 20 or more points as helped lead Bethany to a 71-62 win over Thiel on Saturday.

Joyce scored 23 points for the Bison, which won its fifth consecutive game. Leslie Addy also stepped up as he came through with his fourth double-double of the season.

Addy scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. It was the fifth time in the last six games that Addy has scored in double figures.

Bethany forced 17 steals in the win and it's the 17th time this season that the Bison has racked up at least 10 steals in a game.

Bethany, which led 31-29 at halftime,  improved to 18-4 overall and to 11-2 in the conference.

Women: Sydney Moss, a transfer from Florida, went over 1,000 points in her career on Saturday as she led Thomas More to a 65-52 win over Washington & Jefferson.

Moss went over 1,000 points for her career when she scored on a layup in the second half. She finished the day with 27 points and has 1,001 points in her career. She scored 438 points a season ago for the Gators and has scored 563 points this season for the Saints.

Thomas More is now 21-0 overall and 14-0 in the conference. Jenny Burgoynne finished with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Devin Beasley finished with 12 points.

The Saints shot 49.3 percent from the field and scored 34 points in the paint.

Southern Athletic Association

Men: Drew Miller turned in a 30-point performance to help Rhodes knock off Birmingham Southern 81-70 on Sunday. The Lynx improved to 13-8 overall and to 6-4 in the conference. Rhodes shot 58  percent from the field and held the Panthers to 42.2 percent shooting from the field.

The 30 points by Miller was the most he has scored in a game this season. Tate Sledge and Shane Watson scored 10 points apiece for the Lynx.

Women: Jamie Tate became the 14th player in Hendrix history to score 1,000 points as she helped the Warriors beat Millsaps 57-54 on Sunday.

Tate scored 10 points and grabbed 19 rebounds for the Warriors. She pushed her career scoring total to 1,002 points and has also pulled down 1,180 rebounds in her career. She is the only player in program history with that many points and rebounds in a career.

Taylor Neal scored 18 points to pace the Warriors and Katie Coughran finished with 14 points. Hendrix has won its last three games and is now 10-11 overall and 4-6 in the SAA.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Men: Centenary pushed its win streak to six games on Saturday with a 71-57 win over Southwestern. The Gents are now 13-8 overall and 8-3 in the conference.

James Sapp paved the way as he scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. He has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in his last four games.

Jonathan Blount came through with a 20-point performance and has scored in double figures in all 21 games this season for Centenary.

The Gents shot 45.8 percent from the field and were 24-of-27 at the free-throw line.

Centenary trailed by as many as 13 in the first half but dominated the second half after trailing 35-28 at halftime.

Women: Texas Lutheran won its eighth consecutive game and moved into a tie for first place with a 70-64 victory over Colorado College on Sunday.

The Bulldogs are 17-5 overall and 9-2 in the conference and are tied with Trinity atop the standings. The 17 wins is the most by the Bulldogs in the D-III era of the program.

Texas Lutheran shot only 32.3 percent from the field and Karisa Cantu and Kristen Lye each scored 12 points in the win. Cantu added three rebounds, four assists and three steals to her stat line in the win. Lye pulled down seven rebounds.

Taylor Dydalewicz scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

USA South Athletic Conference

Men: Jaumonee Byrd scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as he helped Maryville extend its win streak to 10 games with an 89-78 win over LaGrange on Saturday.

Spencer Shoffner knocked down four treys to highlight his 21-point performance and Christian Ford scored 15 points to go along with five assists. Oscar Butler added 15 points and eight rebounds as Maryville improved to 14-6 overall and to 10-0 in the conference.

Women: Katy Kipps scored 22 points and reached the 1,000-point milestone on Sunday as Ferrum knocked off North Carolina Wesleyan 86-59 in USA South action.

Kipps has 1,006 points in her career and Shea Smith isn't too far behind as she scored 11 points on Sunday is 20 away from 1,000. Smith also grabbed six rebounds and dished out eight assists as the Panthers won their eighth consecutive game.

Jacole Hairston led Ferrum in scoring with 23 points. She was 10-of-12 from the field.

The Panthers improved to 18-1 overall and to 12-1 in the conference.