MIAA honors Lions’ Adams

Senior Nicole Helfrich looks to pass in Southerns 74-59 win over Northwest Missouri State Feb. 28.

Senior Nicole Helfrich looks to pass in Southern’s 74-59 win over Northwest Missouri State Feb. 28.

Jason Adams was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year, while sophomore guard Skyler Bowlin was a second-team All-MIAA selection as the MIAA announced its postseason awards Monday.

Adams, a 6-5 guard/forward from Carthage, has been Missouri Southern’s third-leading scorer this year as a true freshman coming off the bench.

He’s averaging 22 minutes per game and is scoring 10.6 points per game, while shooting 53 percent from the field.

Adams has scored in double figures 13 times this year, including a 27-point performance in the Lions’ only overtime game this year, scoring nine of the team’s 20 points in the extra period helping the Lions to the win.

Adams led all MIAA freshmen in scoring.

Bowlin, a 6-3 guard from Paragould, Ark., is a second-team selection, as well as being named to the MIAA’s All-Defensive Team.

He has been the spark on a Lions team that started the season with a school-record 12 straight wins and vaulted to No. 10 in the NABC Poll.

This season, Bowlin has scored in double figures in all but five games. He is the team’s leading scorer with 14.6 points per game and has scored 16.4 points per game in conference play. Bowlin has scored 20 points or more seven times.

A defensive stopper for the Lions, Bowlin ranks second in the MIAA in steals and has helped the Lions rank second in both turnover margin and steals.