By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Toledo, Ohio---Ariel Bethea (Huron/Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) have been named the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) Division II player of the week recipients in women's and men's basketball, respectively, for games played Dec. 19 - Jan. 1.

Bethea, a sophomore guard for the undefeated No. 3 Owens women's basketball team, averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 steals, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game over four games during the holiday period. 

She produced back-to-back 19-point games against Kellogg Community College and Oakland Community College, had at least four steals in each game, and pulled down a season-high nine rebounds in the game against Kellogg. She had at least 11 points, four steals, two assists and two rebounds in each game.

Bethea is now averaging 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this year. She is 40 points away from 500 in her career, and she is 20 steals away from breaking the program's career mark in that category.

Bethea and the Owens women's basketball team will take its 14-0 record into Saturday's road game against Hocking College at 1 p.m. The team returns home next Wednesday against Lorain County Community College at 5:30 p.m.

Jamerson, meanwhile, averaged 14 points, nine rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in wins over Kellogg Community College and Jackson College. He finished 10-for-24 from the field, including a 7-for-16 mark from 3-point range. In the 91-61 win over Kellogg on Dec. 20, he had his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamerson, who is a NCAA Division I Norfolk State University signee, is now averaging 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds this year, and he is shooting 47-for-99 (47.5 percent) from 3-point range. He is 23 3-point field goals made and 42 3-point field goals attempted away from breaking each of those career records, has made at least one 3-point field goal in every game played in his career, and has scored double figures in his past 19 games dating back to last year.

Jamerson and the Owens men's basketball team will take its 9-5 record into Saturday's road game against Hocking College at 3 p.m. The team returns home next Wednesday against Lorain County Community College at 7:30 p.m. 

Notes

For Jamerson, this is his second career OCCAC player of the week award. He also won on Dec. 6 of last year. Bethea also won the award on Dec. 4 of this year.