Top-seeded Wallace State men use strong second half to beat Bishop State in men’s ACCC tourney quarterfinals

HANCEVILLE – Wallace State sophomore Jestin Lewis scored 21 points and grabbed seven boards, Lee Moore added 14 points and the top-seeded Lions pulled away in the second half for a 69-45 victory over Bishop State in the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC)/Region 22 tournament quarterfinals Thursday night at Tom Drake Coliseum.
Wallace State, which is seeking its third state championship in five seasons, advances to play Lawson State in Friday’s semifinal round at 7 p.m. The teams split their regular-season meetings with each winning on their home courts. Shelton State and Southern Union will play Friday’s semifinal opener at 5 p.m.
It took the Lions (25-6) until the second half to put it into another gear. Once they did, Bishop State had no answer. Wallace State trailed by as many as six points in the first half before tying the game at 18-18 with nine minutes left before intermission. The Lions nursed a 24-22 lead at the break.
“I thought we were tight in the first half. We hadn’t played in a week and we had been watching a lot of basketball in the meantime. We had some early tournament jitters but overcame it in the second half,” said Wallace State coach John Meeks. “I told them at halftime to loosen up and act like it’s another day on the playground. I thought we did that. Our shot selection was looser in the second half. We got the same shots as we did in the first half; we just made them count. I thought that was big.”
Marcus Johnson opened the second half by draining a 3-pointer from the top of the key, propelling the Lions to the strong second half. Lewis’ putback in the lane with 12:11 remaining extended Wallace State’s lead to 41-31 and his steal and subsequent slam dunk pushed it to 46-35 with nine minutes left.
Bishop State (18-10) never got within single digits the rest of the way.
Marcus Burwell finished with nine points and six rebounds for Wallace State, Quinterian McConico chipped in with six points and eight rebounds off the bench and Johnson, playing in his first game in more than two weeks, had six points and six assists.
Remonda Harris and Haylen Washington led Bishop State with 12 points apiece.
Wallace State is one win away from advancing to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national tournament because Region 22 sends its champion and runner-up this season to Hutchinson, Kansas.
“It’s an all-North Division final four with a trip to Kansas on the line. There are going to be no secrets on either side. Four teams who have played each other this year are going to battle it out,” Meeks said. “Individual guys are going to have to step up and play like they are capable of playing for us to advance.”
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.