LORMAN &045; Alcorn’s Shikhia Sims had to pound her chest a few times Saturday night. She was hot from behind the 3-point line, the Lady Braves were winning and much-needed game and things were just going right.

While the shots from way downtown may have been something rare for the Lady Braves, Sims’ antics sure weren’t. For a girl who grew up on the west side of Chicago playing basketball with boys and against boys, that’s how she plays.

Like a boy.

&uot;That’s what they tell me all the time &045; I play like a boy,&uot; said the 5-5 Sims, the junior college transfer who goes by &uot;Shak&uot; among her teammates. &uot;But sometimes I get lazy, too, and I have to pick that up. That’s what I’ve been doing all my life &045; playing against boys or with boys.&uot;

One of those boys, she noted, was Alcorn defensive end Michael Howleit. The two were among the same graduating class at John Marshall High School but went their separate ways following graduation &045; Sims to Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas, and Holweit to Alcorn.

Two years later Sims’ sent a tape to Alcorn, and she wound up on the same campus with an old friend over 800 miles away.

&uot;Before I came here, in high school I heard a lot about Alcorn State,&uot; Sims said. &uot;I had family down here, and that’s what really got me down here. But growing up in Chicago, it’s a sports city. But (Howleit) is my boy. He used to practice with us, and we’d practice against the boys all the time. He’s always been good in football, but he’s an all-around player &045; football, baseball and basketball.&uot;

There have been times Sims has been down and out looking for a friend, and Howleit’s been there. For a newcomer on a team that needed a point guard coming into the season, Sims didn’t get the nod coming in and had to fight for playing time at the start of the season.

She played behind freshman Tiffany Smith at the point guard position up until the fourth game of the SWAC schedule. She made her first start in the team’s road win over Mississippi Valley Jan. 17, has started ever since and will likely start tonight when the Lady Braves host Texas Southern.

&uot;She has helped us a lot this year, even though we have been up and down,&uot; Alcorn head coach Shirley Walker said. &uot;She has a very good attitude and is somebody I love to work with. I was a little afraid when she came into a new system, but she’s been about the most consistent person we’ve had. She’s made some big plays for us.&uot;

Sims has brought stability to the position after the team lost Zandra Hall last year following her senior season. The Lady Braves had to replace Hall and Keairra Levy at the shooting guard position, and Walker continued to juggle the lineup into the conference portion of the schedule.

But Sims has helped the Lady Braves with turnover problems early in the season and with scoring as well. She’s fourth in the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game.

&uot;She’s coming along pretty well and is doing a good job,&uot; forward Tnonealyer Powers said. &uot;She has stepped up her game tremendously. If we need someone to hit a shot, she knocks it down. It took her a good bit to get used to the system and get used to playing with us.&uot;

The biggest contribution, however, may be on the scoreboard. Sims has developed into the team’s best 3-point shooter as she has nailed 27 out of 73 attempts so far this season.

Junior Alicia Gardner, a junior college transfer out of Los Angeles, is the team’s second-best shooter but seen limited action in the last four games with an injury.

Sims’ efforts from 3-point land have seldom been used this season. The Lady Braves are dead last in the conference in 3-pointers attempted (184) and made (51). Jackson State is second-lowest in 3-pointers with 74 made and 284 attempted.

&uot;All I can say about the team this year &045; to be very honest, (we’ll take) every ammunition we can find that can work,&uot; Walker said. &uot;I know we’re not a very good 3-point shooting team. (Gardner) is not able to play like she wants to, and Alicia is a 3-point shooter for us. We’re hoping things work out for us.&uot;

Much of that has been due to the Lady Braves’ inside game with Powers, Candace Roberts and Rasaan Powell off the bench, but Sims made Southern pay in Saturday’s 74-61 win. She canned five 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 19 points to spark the Lady Braves.

Alcorn had six 3-pointers in that game, the most since hitting eight in a 74-71 win over Alabama State Jan. 24.

&uot;They were telling me they were going to drop off and be ready to knock down an open shot,&uot; Sims said. &uot;I was ready to knock down an open shot. We had been practicing hard all week, and I was in the gym shooting around. We go inside a lot. They double-team the post, and we always tell the post player if they double down to hit the open man. My teammates do a really good job of kicking it out when they get a double team.&uot;

Sims’ two best games scoring were the Southern game and the Alabama State game. Sims admitted she had to step up that game since leading scorer LaToya Johnson was absent that game, but she’s still trying to pick up her game since then &045; both on and off the scoreboard &045; through the Lady Braves’ up-and-down season.

An effective point guard often won’t show up as the team’s leading scorer, but Sims is starting to bring more to the table.

&uot;I’ve always been a point, and I think that’s good you’ve got a point guard that can knock down an open shot, too,&uot; Sims said. &uot;We really hadn’t had that much chemistry, but if everybody comes back, we’ll be a lot better team. We need ball handlers. We don’t have many people who can handle the ball. But I had to learn the system and push the ball up the floor because we’re a running team.

&uot;I’m still learning. This is my first year in Division I.&uot;