PORT ARTHUR — The Lamar State College-Port Arthur Seahawks are alone in the NJCAA polls this week in spite of having dropped a game to Paris a week ago.

Now the Hawks will try to defeat Region 14 North Zone foe Navarro College to prove their national accolades are well-deserved. Tipoff today is at 4 p.m. at Carl Parker Center.

The Hawks dropped their first conference game of the season to Paris a week ago but came back strong with an 89-77 road win over Panola on Wednesday night. Now Lamar State is ranked 37th in the nation in the most recent NJCAA poll heading into today’s game. They are the only Region 14 team among the elite.

And while Navarro sits in third place in the North Zone of Region 14 with a 3-2 mark, Seahawks Coach Matt Cross is no fool … every game is critical with a 19-game league schedule.

“You can’t overlook anyone,” he said after the Hawks’ loss to Paris on Jan. 21. “You lose one game in this league and it can come back to haunt you.”

And while the team picks up plenty of accolades as the season progresses, so do the individuals who have led the Hawks to a first-place standing in the South Zone at 7-1.

Seahawks sophomore forward Elijah Pittman is ranked No. 3 in Region 14 in scoring with 19.5 points a game. He is hitting 57 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. Pittman’s name is sprinkled among the region’s leaders in several categories – No. 9 in rebounds, No. 9 in 3-point field goal percentage, 12th in field goal percentage, No. 9 in free throw percentage and No. 1 in blocked shots with 36 total this season.

Joining him among the top scorers are Shondel Stewart and Brandon Peters. Stewart, a freshman guard, is seventh in Region 14 with a scoring average of 16.1 points a game. He is also ranked 14th in field goal percentage.

Thanks to his aggressive play on defense, not only is Peters 12th in scoring with an average of 14.9 points, he is also No. 1 in the conference in steals with 57 this year.

Playing unselfishly is a forte for Jayon James and Derrick Dawkins, ranked fifth (78) and sixth (73) in the conference in assists. Elridge Moore does his damage on defense, picking up 33 steals this season, fifth best in the conference.

Navarro comes into Port Arthur with just one player averaging in double-figures, Hyjji Thomas who is hitting for 10.9 points a game. James Thomas is second in scoring with 9.4 points a game.