#12 Shelton State Bombs Their Way To Fifteenth Straight Win
(Feb 15, 2022) Tuscaloosa, AL – Finding true wind early, and behind torrid second half shooting, the Bucs sailed to the finish line almost effortlessly in a 94-75 home court decision over Marion Military Institute.
Shelton, now 23-3, 17-0, went 17-28 on FGs (61%), including 7 of ten from distance, cruising to their 15th consecutive victory. For the game, the Bucs made 34-59 (57.6%) from the field, and eleven of twenty from long range (55%).
The helmsmen, Jaykwon Walton and Andres Burney, combined to score half of the team’s points (47) as the Tigers seemed helpless in stopping the duo.
MMI trailed by 14 with three minutes left in the first, but clawed back to within seven when the Bucs Antwan Burnett nailed a right corner three off a Thaddeus Williams baseline drive and dish, extending their halftime cushion back to double digits, 47-37.
Burnett’s dagger was killer for the Marion Military momentum, although the Tigers were able to get within five on three occasions in the second half. Each time however, was met by one of Walton’s five second half long range bombs (six total) to quell any chance of a Tiger upset.
In fact, Jaykwon hit five straight triples during a 4 1/2 minute stint midway through the second. During that stretch, Walton personally outscored MMI 15 to 7, pushing the Bucs advantage from five to 14 with 8:00 left. The last trio of Walton bombs were all from the same proximity on the court (right wing) and happened in 45 seconds of continuous clock. WOW! Game over!!
The Tigers never recovered from Walton’s aerial attack as Shelton State took their lead out to 21, and drifted to the final 19 point difference.
In addition to Walton’s 24 points (9-12 FGs, 6-9 on threes) off the bench, Jaykwon also had four steals. Meanwhile, Burney tallied 23 points (9-15 from the floor), and a team high 5 boards and 3 blocks. Antonio Thomas was almost perfect with his shots (5-5, 3-3, 1-2) garnering 14 points plus 4 assists. Antwan Burnett finished with 11 points and tossed out a game high 7 apples. Thaddeus Williams found his way to ten points, accompanying his five dime, four steal, floor game.
Marion Military Institute drops to 11-13, 8-9. Kenny Gaines, Jr. led the Tigers with 19 points, adding 6 boards and 4 dimes. Derrick Hutchins, Jr., nearing a dub-dub, dropped 15 points (7of10) and grabbed 9 rebounds. Devin Graham and Jordan Long put in 13 and 11 points respectively. Nyrek Wheeler helped out with 7 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, nabbing a game high 11 boards. MMI controlled the glass 38-28, but it wasn’t enough.
Shelton continues their three game home stand with games against Bevill State Wednesday and Coastal-North on Friday, before finishing the season with two games on the road next week.
Marion Military travels to Lawson State on Wednesday.
Shelton State has already clinched the ACCC North Division Title, and with that, one of the two #1 seeds in the post-season tournament.
The top four teams in each division (North and South) qualify for entry into the ACCC Championship, which will determine the South District Champions, and automatic berth in the NJCAA National Tournament.
The ACCC tourney will be held in the Umphrey Center at Shelton State CC and runs March 1-4.
The National Tournament is March 14-19 at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS.
