Highlanders, Highlassies claim conference awards

The McLennan Community College men's and women's basketball squads were well represented on the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference All-Conference Awards list.

Highlander standouts Xaiver Armstead, Javen Hedgeman and Jashawn Talton were all named first-team all-conference selections and received three of the five individual awards handed out.

Armstead, a freshman guard from Waco and Midway graduate, was named the Newcomer of the Year. He averaged 16.1 points and five rebounds per game in conference play. Hedgeman, a freshman from Pearland, was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year. In conference play, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.1 defensive rebounds, 4.2 assists and one steal per game. Talton, a sophomore from Oklahoma City, was tabbed the conference Player of the Year. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and led the conference with a 59.3 field goal percentage. He was a second-team all-conference selection as a freshman last season.

Sophomore Daniel Pinho Severo of Osasco, Brazil, and freshman Dayante McClellan of Del Valle, were honorable mention all-conference selections. Pinho Severo averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds while McClellan averaged five points and 3.4 rebounds in conference play.

Head coach Kevin Gill led the Highlanders to a third consecutive North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Championship and the eighth in his career to earn the conference Co-Coach of the Year honor. This is Gill's seventh award since taking over the Highlanders' program in 2002. He shares the honor with Jim Sigona from Collin.

The Highlanders open the Region V Tournament against the Clarendon Bulldogs at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Tiger Pit in Wolforth. Live steaming and live stats of all tournament games will be available via stretch internet at www.njcaaregion5.com.

For the Highlassies, sophomore guards Jaylonn Walker and Velma Mitchell were named first-team all-conference selections, and freshman guard KeeKee Nowlin was named an honorable mention selection. Walker, from Calvert, averaged 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in conference play. Mitchell, a Rockdale native, averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.4 steals in conference. Nowlin, of Bryan, averaged 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in conference play.