NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team completed its quest for the New South Athletic Conference crown with a 64-52 win over rival Virginia Peninsula Community College Sunday afternoon.

The Builders led wire-to-wire, pulling out to a 6-0 lead in a low scoring first half. Apprentice led 26-19 at the break before finally putting some distance between themselves and the Gators midway through the second half, allowing for the celebration to begin late in the contest for the conference tournament championship.

Tony Epps, Jr. had a career-high 20 points, hitting 3-of-4 three pointers on the night. CJ Highsmith had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Adrion Wall also added 12 points.

The Builders’ 20 wins is the most in a season since winning 23 back in the 2001-02 season. That season ended in a national championship, the first for the men’s basketball program at the USCAA level.

With the win, the Builders improve to 20-7 on the season, as they await official word of their next steps for the season. Currently, Apprentice is ranked No. 3 in the latest USCAA National Coaches’ Poll for Division I. As there are no automatic qualifiers in USCAA Division I, there will be eight teams announced as the tournament field on the live bid announcement show March 5.

Story and image courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com