Cougars Student-Athlete Spotlight: Paige Smith

Paige Smith has continued her stellar performance into January. She never took a night off and never took her foot off the gas, cementing herself as a critical player for the Frederick Community College Cougars women’s basketball team. Paige started all five games as the Cougars went 4-1 in January, and Smith's stats reflect her continuous improvement throughout the season.

Smith leads Region 20 DII in scoring for the month of January, with an average of 25.6 points per game, and has scored more points than any other player, with 128 points, this month while averaging 30.6 minutes per game. Smith's scoring ability remained exceptional. Her shooting percentages were impressive across the board, shooting 48.6% from the field and 63.2% from the free-throw line. After January, Smith is fourth in scoring in all NJCAA DII women’s basketball with 23.7 PPG. 

Not only has she been a scoring machine, but Smith's impact extended beyond scoring as she averages 4.2 assists per game, making any of her teammates on the floor a threat, and averages 6.8 rebounds per game in January. Her defensive awareness makes her a significant threat on both ends of the floor, averaging 4.4 steals per game.

Smith recorded her first career double-double of the season in the second game of a back-to-back on January 14 against Cuyahoga CC with 27 points and 12 rebounds and had two 28-point games, one at Virginia Peninsula CC on January 13 and at home against Christendom College on January 31. 

Paige Smith's January performance was nothing short of outstanding. Her ability to score, defensive impact, and overall effects make her a standout athlete in women's college basketball.