Oakton women’s basketball guard earns player of the week honors

Ava Gardner (Park Ridge, Maine South High School), an Oakton Community College freshman guard, was named women’s basketball District 4 player of the week, according to the latest Region IV National Junior College Athletic Association report.

Gardner led the Owls, which compete at the Division II level, in scoring in contests against Illinois Valley Community College on Tuesday, Dec. 12, and Black Hawk College-Moline on Thursday, Dec. 14. For the week, she averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Gardner currently leads the Owls in scoring (14.1 points per game) and steals (1.9 per contest). On the season, she is also averaging 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

“Ava has unique talents, including a beautiful three-point shot, along with great speed and vision to get to the basket,” Melissa Rauschenberg, head basketball coach of the Owls, said. “She is truly deserving of this honor as she pushed herself to a new level physically and mentally. I believe she has many more weeks like this to come during the remainder of the season.”