Wyatt Leads Mohawks to Three Wins, Named POW

John Melvin Christian (FL) picked up three wins coming off the Christmas break last week, led by the work of Joshua Wyatt. The 6’3″ junior guard averaged 14 ppg along with 12 rpg, shooting 18-32 from the field. Wyatt put up 17 points, grabbed 12 boards, dished out 5 assists, and snagged 6 steals against Florida Coastal on Friday. For his outstanding performance, Wyatt has been named the NSAC Player of the Week.

For the season Josh is averaging 16.3 ppg and 7.2 rpg while shooting 57% FG and 42.6% from deep.

Sam Benton, Jr. of Lighthouse and Keith Shakes, Jr. of MACU earned Honorable Mention.

Congrats to all three!

Mustangs Stymie Gladiators 94-68

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Keith Shakes, Jr. and Janus Shepherd scored 21 points apiece to lead Mid-Atlantic Christian to a 94-68 NSAC win Saturday afternoon over South Carolina Central Christian.

The Mustangs (6-7 overall, 4-0 NSAC) opened the game in red-hot fashion jumping to a 28-4 margin before the Gladiators settled into their game. S4C (1-7, 1-2), missing four players out with COVID symptoms, cut the lead to 14, but could get no closer. MACU led by as many as 29 late before settling for the final margin.

Tyus Williams added 12 for the Herd while Terrence Williams and Elijah Dias each tallied 12.

Cedric Shelby led the Gladiators with 21 and Daquan Ramey added 18.

SC Central Takes Win from CIC for First Program Dub

RICHMOND, Va. – South Carolina Central Christian College got 23 points Kevin Butler Friday afternoon to claim its first men’s basketball win 83-76 over Central International.

The Gladiators (1-6 overall, 1-1 NSAC), in their first year as a varsity program, held a 14-point advantage at halftime and held off a determined Cardinal rally for the victory.

Simari Murray scored 18 points, Duncan Casey added 17, and Daquan Ramey contributed 10 for the Glads, who were down four players suffering from COVID symptoms.

Josh Ellis led CIC (1-8, 0-1) with 19 points.

S4C continues its road trip at MACU on Saturday.

Brown Earns Record Fourth POW Honor

Eddie Brown continues to blister the basket for Lighthouse Christian. The 6’0″ junior from Pensacola went 10-of-19 from the floor, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to load up 43 points in the Makos’ 117-77 rout of John Melvin (LA) on Friday and improve to 5-0 in conference play. For a record fourth time, Brown is the NSAC Player of the Week.

Congratulations, Eddie!

Mohawks Down Millers in First ‘Battle of the Melvins’

PENSACOLA, Fl. – Betting on a John Melvin win Saturday was easy money.

In the first-ever meeting between the two John Melvin campuses, Pace, Florida-based John Melvin Christian College (JMCC) defeated John Melvin University (JMU) of Crowley, Louisiana 94-81.

JMU opened the game up 7-0 before JMCC coach Colin Doss called a time out. The Mohawks gathered themselves afterward to take a lead they would not relinquish, extending the margin to as many as 23 points in the second half.

JMCC (12-3 overall, 3-1 NSAC) was led by Jacquari Johnson with 23 points with Evan Griffin contributing 17. Darion Ramos came off the bench and went 5-of-7 from three for 15 of his 17 points.

JMU dropped its fifth straight conference game to move to 9-9 overall and 1-5 in league play.

Photo courtesy JMCC

Southeast Christian Gets First Program Win

LEESBURG, Fl. – Southeast Christian College put five players in double figures and held off a feisty United International College squad in picking up the school’s first varsity men’s basketball win 83-81 Saturday afternoon.

“We only had eight (players) today, but that’s how I’ve always worked best,” said Eagles coach Dwayne Walker. “My big man is out and have one guard injured. The rest were ready to work. All the glory goes to the Lord!”

SECC (1-11 overall, 0-7 NSAC) was led by Carey Davis’ 23 points and eight rebounds. Karlton Walton followed with 17 points, Nesean Rhome added 16, Jordan Stevenson had 11, and Keywon Lister 10. The Eagles converted 31-of-69 shots from the floor for 44.9 percent and a hot 23-47 from 3 for 48.9 percent.

Photo courtesy Tara Walker/Southeast Christian College

Mohawk’s Griffin Earns POTW Award

It was a busy and productive three days in Georgia for John Melvin Christian College (FL) freshman Evan Griffin. Consider:

  • Thursday vs. Georgia CCC – 31 Points, 20 Rebounds, 2 Assists
  • Friday vs. Apprentice – 17 Points, 12 Rebounds
  • Saturday vs. MACU – 12 Points, 7 Rebounds

For the week, Evan put up 18.7 ppg and grabbed 13 rpg.

The 6’1″ guard from Raceland, Louisiana was key in the Mohawks 2-1 road trip and has been named the NSAC Player of the Week.

Congrats, Evan!

Mustangs Sweep, Builders Dominate in Day Three of Christmas Classic

TOCCOA FALLS, Ga. – Mid-Atlantic Christian upset seventh-ranked Atlantis 64-60 Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep of the NSAC North-South Christmas Classic.

The game was tied 21-21 at halftime, but the Mustangs (5-6 overall, 3-0 NSAC) separated themselves from the Atlanteans after intermission to lead by as many as 14 points. AU (6-8, 1-3) closed the gap late for the final score. Keith Shakes led MACU with 20 points.

The Mustangs defeated both John Melvin campuses on the first two days of competition to set up the trifecta on Sunday in their first NSAC games of the season.

Third-ranked Apprentice wrapped led wire-to-wire in a 90-67 win over John Melvin University Sunday afternoon.

The Builders (8-3, 2-1) opened the game on a 14-2 run that set the tone for the rest of the game. Apprentice hit their first four shots from the floor and went on to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, including hitting 10-of-20 shots from downtown, on the way to a 45-32 lead at intermission.

The Millers (9-7, 1-3) trimmed the lead down to as few as seven early in the second half, but a 10-0 Builder run helped extend the lead back out to a 62-43 lead at the 13:45 mark of the second half. Apprentice pushed the lead out to as many as 28 points on multiple occasions on the way to the win.

In total, 12 Builders made their way into the scoring column with all 16 seeing at least four minutes of action. Adrion Wall paced the way with 22 points.

Sunday’s wins pushed the NSAC North Division to 5-1 in claiming the classic’s bragging rights.

Thanks to Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com for his help with this story

Builders, Mustangs Take Day Two Wins in Christmas Classic

TOCCOA FALLS, Ga. – Third-ranked Apprentice battled for 40 minutes to get past number seven Atlantis 76-74 on Day 2 of the NSAC North-South Christmas Classic Saturday.

The Builders pulled ahead early to take a six-point advantage, but that would be their largest lead as the Atlanteans stormed back, running their lead up to as many as 13 with 12 minutes to play in the game. Apprentice stayed with the plan and chipped away, hitting big shots and free throws down the stretch to secure their first conference win of the season.

Adrion Wall led the way with 23 points, while Karree Smith put up 18. Donovan Means added 15. Santiago Insaurralde led all scorers with 29 for Atlantis.

Mid-Atlantic Christian fell behind early, just as it had on Friday, then pulled ahead to stay in handing John Melvin Christian (FL) its first NSAC loss 91-83 in the day’s second game.

Play concludes on Sunday with John Melvin (LA) taking on Apprentice at 1:00 pm Eastern followed by Atlantis and MACU at 3:00 pm.

JMCC Knocks Off Apprentice, MACU Puts Away JMU at Christmas Classic

TOCCOA FALLS, Ga. – Trailing by as many as 27, USCAA third-ranked Apprentice mounted a massive comeback to make it a game before falling just short in a 108-101 loss to John Melvin Christian College (FL) Friday afternoon at the NSAC North-South Christmas Classic.

JMCC shot over 70 percent in the first half to take a lead as big as 27 points before sitting at a 60-35 lead at intermission. From there, the Builders started chipping away, winning each media timeout period all the way down to the under-4 when Apprentice trailed by just three at 93-90. JMCC did just enough to hold off the Builders to get the win down the stretch.

The Builders’ Donovan Means scored a career high 32 points to lead all scorers. Josh Wyatt led the Mohawks with 26. JMCC went 44-for-48 at the free throw line in the win.

In the nightcap, Mid-Atlantic Christian fell behind by double-digits in the first half, only to take the lead after intermission and pull away late to defeat John Melvin University (LA) 88-74.

Keith Shakes scored 27 points to lead the Mustangs to their first NSAC win. Richard Cassler of JMU led all scorers with 29.

The NSAC Christmas Classic is a three-day event pitting Apprentice and MACU from the North Division facing JMCC (FL), JMU (LA), and Atlantis from the South Division in a round-robin format.

Play continues Saturday at 2:00 pm Eastern time when Apprentice faces #7 Atlantis followed by John Melvin Christian College and MACU at 4:00 pm.

Thanks to Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com for his help with this story.