Blue Horse, Alexander pick up January Athlete of the Month honors from CCCSIA
SACRAMENTO - Women’s basketball freshman standout Janae Blue Horse from Yuba College and men's basketball sophomore guard from Compton College turned in outstanding performances during January and were rewarded for their efforts by being named the California Community College Sports Information Association Women's and Men's Athletes of the Month.
Listed below are recaps for the month for both the winners and honorable mention selections.
Female Athlete of the Month
Janae Blue Horse | Yuba College | Women's Basketball | Freshman
With teams starting the conference season and preparing for the postseason, January was an exciting month for women’s basketball. In the north, Yuba College’s freshman guard Janae Blue Horse scored double digits in all six of her January appearances topping out at 30 points against Laney for a 67-48 win. Over the course of the month, Blue Horse scored 113 points for the Forty-Niners. Averaging 18.83 ppg. Blue Horse holds the Yuba College record for most three-pointers scored.
Male Athlete of the Month
Dominque Alexander | Compton College | Men's Basketball | Sophomore
For the month of January, Compton College sophomore guard Dominique Alexander (Gardena HS) averaged 30.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.4 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc. On January 8th, Alexander posted a career-high 40 points, including going 19 for 20 from the free throw line at LA Trade-Tech. The following game he earned his first career triple-double by putting up 21 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and season-high 10 assists against Pasadena City. In total for the month he collected three double-doubles, including one in the upset win against 22nd ranked Cerritos on January 29th. He also posted four 30-plus point performances and five games of 5 or more steals over the course of the month.
Honorable Mention - Women Alijah Paquet | Allan Hancock College | Women's Basketball | Freshman
In 5 games during the month of January, freshman guard Alijah Paquet averaged, 16.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3.6 steals Per Game. She scored a career-high 31 points on January 19th in an 88-56 win over Laney College. Paquet scored in double digits four of the Bulldogs five January games and put in two double-double performances including a season high 16 rebounds against Oxnard on the 25th.
Chassen Gutierrez | Santa Monica College | Women's Basketball | Freshman
In January, Santa Monica College’s Chassen Gutierrez scored 174 points including her second 30 point game this season (19.3 average) and 53 rebounds (7.5) per game. Gutierrez shot 71% from the freethrow line and 51.4% from the field. Gutierrez scored in double digits in six of the Corsairs seven January games and had three double-doubles including a career high 20 rebounds at Citrus on January 18th. She is a dominant player who attacks relentlessly and leads Santa Monica in scoring.
Honorable Mention - Men Ben Baker | West Valley College | Men’s Basketball | Freshman
Ben Baker led West Valley to a 6-2 mark and the top spot in the Coast-South with a 17-point, 8-rebound, 2-assist average in January. At De Anza on 1/24, Baker finished with a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, but it was his January 29 performance against Cabrillo that established Baker as possibly the Coast-South's top player. He finished with 28 points - 22 in the second half - 12 boards, four assists and four steals to help the Vikings grab a share of the conference lead with a 79-68 win over the Seahawks.
(Sheryl Herchenroeder, CCCSIA)