Wallace State basketball teams remain near top of ACCC North standings after sweep of Snead State
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State’s basketball teams each gained ground in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) North Division on Thursday night, sweeping Snead State at home.
The Lady Lions drained 14 3-pointers in a 74-71 win in the opener, and the Wallace State men outlasted Snead State down the stretch, earning a 78-68 victory.
Wallace State’s women (18-6, 3-1 ACCC) notched their fifth consecutive win in their first conference game since Jan. 22.
Wallace State trailed 35-28 at the half before outscoring Snead State 29-20 in the third quarter. Wallace State sophomore guard Alex Lowery added an exclamation point as time expired in the third, nailing a 3-pointer from just inside half court. It gave Wallace State a 57-55 edge as the Lady Lions made nine treys in the quarter.
“Alex’s 3-pointer at the end of the third was a huge lift. We challenged the team at halftime. We had prepared for exactly what Snead State was going to do, and we didn’t play well in the second quarter. We played hard the final two quarters and made up the difference,” said Wallace State women’s coach Ron Burdette. “Every night in the North Division is a fight. We have defended our home court well in the conference, and I told the team if we don’t lose again in February, we can guarantee ourselves either a No. 1 or 2 seed in the tournament. We’ve got three big weeks ahead.”
The teams traded leads a couple of times early in the fourth quarter before a Joy Sadler jumper gave Wallace State the advantage for good. Wallace State’s Kelsey Houston followed with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, giving the Lady Lions a 65-57 lead with a little less than seven minutes left in the game.
Snead State trimmed its deficit to two points with 31.7 seconds remaining, but Wallace State’s Gabby Hill kept the Lady Parsons at bay by hitting four free throws to close the game.
Hill finished with a career-high 18 points, Sadler had 16 and Kelsey Houston added 14 points for Wallace State.
The Lady Lions surpassed the 70-point mark for the fifth consecutive game.
Men’s game
Wallace State 78, Snead State 68
Four Wallace State players finished with double figures as the Lions stayed in second place in the ACCC North Division.
Jaylen McCoy paced the Lions with 18 points, Rashawn Green scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, Zach Allison chipped with 12 points and Josh Hill added 10.
Wallace State (12-11, 4-2 ACCC) led by as many as 13 points in the first half when McCoy converted a layup for a 28-15 advantage, and the Lions maintained a 31-22 advantage at the break.
Snead State chipped away at the deficit early in the second half and tied the game at 50-all with 9:46 left in the game.
Wallace State’s Jarrett Thompson broke the tie by converting a 3-point play with 8:18 remaining for a 53-50 edge.
Snead State again tied the game at 58-all with just under seven minutes to go.
Green followed with a clutch 3-pointer for the Lions. His trey from the right corner with 6:33 remaining handed Wallace State a 61-58 advantage.
The Lions never trailed again. They extended their lead to 10 points with the help of 10 made free throws over the final 7:09.
“Rashawn’s 3-pointer was a big one. We made enough shots to win an ugly game,” said Wallace State men’s coach John Meeks. “No matter who you are playing, you’ve got to protect home court in this league, and we’ve done a good job of that. For whatever reason, we play a lot better at home than on the road.”
Thompson added nine points for Wallace State.
For Snead State, Trai James had 25 points, Chandler Davis had 14 and Quan Cothron added 11.
Both Wallace State teams host Gadsden State on Monday, beginning with the women’s game at 5:30 p.m.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit www.athletics.wallacestate.edu.
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Russell Moore
Staff Writer, Communications and Marketing
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8443 direct
Russell.Moore@wallacestate.edu
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu