Three ACCC basketball teams prepare for NJCAA Division I National Championships
MONTGOMERY – Three Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) basketball teams continue their March push at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Basketball Championships, beginning this weekend.
Wallace State’s men’s basketball team plays Frank Phillips (Texas) College on Sunday at 8 p.m., in Hutchinson, Kan.
The 22nd-seeded Lions (26-5) are making their second consecutive appearance at the national tournament and fifth overall in program history. Led by first-year coach Faron Key, Wallace State enters the tournament as winners of eight straight games.
Wallace State is led by sophomores Kami Young and Kendarius “KJ” Anderson, each who earned recognition as ACCC 1st-team all-conference selections.
Young, an Atlanta native, was the conference’s leading scorer, pouring in 22.7 points per game. He shoots an ACCC-best 87.6 percent from the free-throw line and has dished out 117 assists.
Anderson, a Tuscumbia native, averages 19.5 points per game, including shooting a league-best 42.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Frank Phillips is the No. 11 seed.
Women’s bracket
A pair of ACCC teams has qualified for the women’s national tournament, hosted in Casper, Wyo., beginning Tuesday, March 25.
The 19th-seeded Wallace State Lady Lions play 14th-seeded Murray State College (Okla.) on March 25 at 5:45 p.m., at the Ford Wyoming Center.
Wallace State (28-4) is making its first national tournament appearance since 2020 and second in 10 years after upsetting Shelton State in the ACCC Tournament championship game on March 8. The Lady Lions, led by first-year coach Joseph Simmons, earned the program’s first ACCC Tournament championship since 2011.
Wallace State is paced by the backcourt duo of Kallie Tinker and Kameron Sanders.
Tinker, a Pisgah native, is the team’s leading scorer, registering 14.2 points per game. She also leads the NJCAA with 129 3-pointers made.
Sanders, a Birmingham native, adds 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Shelton State’s women, led by longtime coach Madonna Thompson, will make a 14th straight appearance at nationals, earning an at-large bid and the No. 8 overall seed.
The Lady Bucs (28-4) play on Friday, March 28 at 11 a.m. against the winner of South Plains and Monroe University.
Shelton State is led by ACCC Player of the Year Julie Nekolna, who averages 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Nekolna was the ACCC’s top scorer during the regular season, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.
Alana Obianozie and Makala Hobdy were also 1st-team All-ACCC selections for the Lady Bucs. Obianozie averages 13 points and 7.3 rebounds, while Hobdy tallies 11.2 points per contest.
Lameria Thomas has pulled down a conference-best 294 rebounds this season.
Thompson heads into the national tournament with a career record of 718-149 in 27 seasons at Shelton State, leading the Lady Bucs to the NJCAA Final Four three times.
All men’s and women’s games will be streamed on ESPN+ and the championship games for each will air on ESPNU.
Chattahoochee Valley CC women at DII Tournament
In the Division II ranks, the Chattahoochee Valley Community College Lady Pirates had their season end on Wednesday at the national tournament in Joplin, Mo., losing a heartbreaker in overtime, 79-77, to North Central Missouri College.
CVCC won its tournament opener against Bryant & Stratton (Va.) College on Monday before falling to Lincoln Land Community College on Tuesday and North Central Missouri in the consolation bracket.
Gabrielle Pass scored a combined 46 points for the CVCC in the tournament, while Zy Thompson added 38 points and Aaliyah Younger scored 30.
Thompson and Younger earned All-ACCC recognition this year, and CVCC coach Joe Richardson was ACCC Division II Coach of the Year.
For more information about the NJCAA Tournaments, visit https://www.njcaa.org/national_championship/schedules/2024-25
For more information about the ACCC, visit https://www.acccathletics.com/landing/index
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About the ACCC
The Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) is a 501 (c)(3) collegiate athletic conference and member of the NJCAA and Region XXII. Participating member colleges are comprised of 180 individual teams, providing opportunities for more than 2,200 student-athletes. Sports that make up the ACCC are baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, volleyball, and esports. ACCC colleges have won NJCAA Division I national championships in baseball, men’s golf and softball and Division II national championships in cross country, men’s golf and women’s and women’s tennis. Final Four appearances have been made in women’s basketball, and ACCC athletes have ultimately competed as Olympians, in the NFL and MLB, including producing World Series champions.