Jackson, Derrick Lead Bucs Past Wildcats; Sole Possession of First Place in ACCC

TUSCALOOSA -  Shelton State Community College and Bishop State met Thursday night with first place on the line in the ACCC standings.

Freshmen Rodwick Jackson (Headland) and Fred Derrick (Huntsville) made sure the Bucs took control of the game and the top spot in the league standings.

Jackson and Derrick combined for 45 points (16-for-21 FG; 11-for-13 FT) in the Bucs 93-78 win over the Wildcats at the Umphrey Center.

Shelton State (20-6, 7-4 ACCC) is in sole possession of first place in the ACCC standings with four games remaining.

Bishop State (12-14, 6-4 ACCC) fell into second-place tie with Gadsden State, Wallace State Hanceville, and Calhoun.

Jackson scored a career-high 25 points with an inside power game that included three offensive rebounds and several  highlight-reel dunks. He made 9-of-10 shots from the floor and converted 7-of-9 free throws. He scored 10 points in the first half and 15 in the second half.  Jackson added five rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one blocked shot.

Jackson had 25 of the Bucs' 44 bench points in the win.

Derrick had a career-high 20 points and handed out five assists in the win, accosting for 30 total points. He made 7-of-11 shots from the field, including two, three-pointers, and was 4-for-4 at the free throw line. He scored 16 points in the second half.

Sophomore Shah Hall (Tuscaloosa) narrowly missed a triple-double, recording 13 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots.

The Bucs shot 56.4 percent (31-for-55) from the floor, including 63 percent (17-for-27) in the first half.

Shelton State also had one of its best night's at the free throw line, making 27-of-33 (.818) foul shots. The 27 makes and 81.8 percentage were the best in an ACCC game. The Bucs made 12-of-13 (.923) in the first half and 15-of-20 (.750) in the second half.

Bishop State, the No. 1 free throw shooting team in the ACCC, made  19-of-24 foul shots (.792), including 9-for-9 in the first half.

The Wildcats had four players in double figures, including Patrick Olajuwon, who had 20 points and eight rebounds.

Shelton State will host arch-rival Wallace State Hanceville on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.