Powell Named NJCAA Region 20 Player of the Month for December 2023
By Rebecca Plantholt
Rosedale, Md. – CCBC Essex Knights freshman guard, Alana Powell, put up big numbers against a strong slate of teams in the month of December, earning her the honors of being named the region's DII women's basketball player of the month. She averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, playing over 31 minutes per game.
On December 6th she was the NJCAA National Player of the Week, largely in part to her two double-double performances on the road, leading the Knights to victory against both nationally-ranked #19 Palm Beach State College and #10 Union College. Powell averaged 20 points and 10.5 assists in those two games, leading the team in scoring in both games. She also recorded a combined 18 rebounds and 5 steals over the course of the weekend.
In the Knights' overtime win against Union, she scored 14 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to complete the Knights come-from-behind win. These two team results put CCBC Essex back in the top five of the NJCAA DII rankings at number four.
The Knights continued their road trip with wins over DI Monroe College and DIII nationally ranked #10 Prince George's Community College. In New York, Powell led the team with 17 points, while tallying 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 30 minutes played. Returning to Maryland, she put up 12 points in 24 minutes, with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.
Powell and the Knights returned home to host their mixer, facing off against #13 Harcum College and #10 Union College. Although the Knights dropped a hard-contested battle with the Bears, Powell once against led the Knights in scoring with 16 points in 35 minutes.
She closed out the month scoring 19 points behind a 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line against Union. In her 24 minutes played, she also recorded another 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, sending the Knights into the New Year with a win.