Lions repeat as ACCC Conference Tournament Champs

The top-seeded Wallace State men’s basketball team won the 2025 Alabama Community College Conference Championship by defeating Southern Union 98-90 on Saturday night at Spragins Hall on the campus of Alabama-Huntsville. The championship is their second consecutive tournament championship and their fifth overall.

The Lions are the first team to punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS later this month.

“What we accomplished tonight means a lot for myself and the program,” coach Faron Key said. “Winning a championship is special, but it means so much more because of the guys on the floor and the bench.”

The win was Wallace’s 26th win of the season. The Lions trailed 46-44 at halftime. They outscored the Bison 54-44 in the second half to secure the victory..

In the first half, Southern Union used a 13-0 run to go from trailing 13-12 to leading 25-13. The Lions found themselves in a hole for the remainder of the half until TJ Cochran hit a long three to cut the lead to two heading into halftime.

The Lions' struggles continued early in the second half as Southern Union attempted to pull away. But Wallace would not give up, and midway through the half, they began chipping away at the Bison’s lead.

Cochran gave the Lions the lead at 78-76 with two free throws at the 5:15 mark of the second half. Wallace State didn’t look back as they closed the game on a 20-14 run. The Lions hit 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch to help seal the victory.

AJ Johnson scored 12 in the first half to lead the Lions and 16 in the second half to finish with a team-high 28 points. He also dished out six assists.

“I must give credit to my teammates because without them I couldn’t have done what I did,” Johnson said. “I may have led the team in scoring but they are the true heroes of the game..”

Christian Thompson again showed why he is arguably the best big man in the conference. He finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks and finished the tournament with 31 points, 31 rebounds and 15 blocks.

Cochran added 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while KJ Anderson had 17 points.

Johnson, Thompson, and Anderson represented Wallace State on the All-Tournament team, and Johnson was named the Tournament MVP.

Wallace State will now wait to see who their opponent will be in the opening round of the NJCAA National Tournament.