It was a busy and productive three days in Georgia for John Melvin Christian College (FL) freshman Evan Griffin. Consider:
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!
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
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.
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.
Lighthouse Christian picked up two road wins last week to improve to 8-2 on the season and was led by none other than Eddie Brown.
The defending NSAC Player of the Year continued to bolster his resume against Simmons College on Friday night, shooting 7-of-16 from the floor (3-of-6 from three) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line for 23 points in an 81-62 win.
On Saturday, the junior guard added 26 points while snagging six rebounds in an impressive win over NCCAA second-ranked Campbellsville-Harrodsburg.
For an outstanding two days’ work in the Bluegrass State, the Makos’ Eddie Brown has been named the NSAC Player of the Week for a record third time.
Congrats, Eddie!
LEESBURG, Fl. – Lighthouse Christian made the most of its two-night junket to Leesburg, Florida, picking up NSAC wins over Beacon and Southeast Christian on consecutive nights.
The Makos (6-2 overall, 3-0 NSAC) fell behind early on Monday night to the Blazers, who played inspired ball and took an early six-point advantage, but a 12-0 LCC run put the Makos on top for good. After leading by as many as 20 points, Beacon (2-8, 1-1) chipped away to close the gap to 87-74 at the buzzer.
After playing Monday’s game on Southeast’s home floor, the Makos felt right at home on Tuesday night, jumping out to 7-0 and 14-4 advantages over the struggling Eagles (0-8, 0-5) and never looked back in cruising to a 105-68 victory.
The wins catapult Lighthouse to the top of the NSAC standings.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
When Beacon College opponents warn, “Shooter!”, to their teammates, it can only mean one thing:
Jared Carter is open.
The 6’5″ guard from Sparta, Tennessee is indeed a shooter and a good one, averaging 48.8 percent from long range, ranking 4th in the USCAA among players having taken at least 40 shots from beyond the arc (he’s actually in something of a slump. He chalked 65.1 percent in junior college). Carter averages 20.9 points per game, second only to his teammate Ernesto Hichez among D1 players through eight games.
Carter’s 34 points led the Blazers to 99-91 upset over #8 Atlantis on Friday night, giving BC its first NSAC win. For his efforts, Jared Carter is the NSAC Player of the Week.
Congrats, Jared!
Image courtesy beaconcollege.edu
LEESBURG, Fl. – Beacon College picked up a win in its NSAC opener Friday night with a 99-91 victory over USCAA 8th-ranked Atlantis.
The Blazers (2-7 overall, 1-0) jumped out early lead that ballooned to 15 points. The Atlanteans began to claw back toward the end of the first half, trimming the deficit to 50-41 at the intermission.
Emerging from halftime, Atlantis (4-5, 1-1) showcased a renewed spirit and tenacity. Demonstrating heightened defensive pressure, the visitors turned the tides momentarily and retook the lead, but the Blazers quickly reclaimed control of the game expanding their lead back to double digits. AU mounted a fierce comeback as the clock wound down, reducing the gap to just four points. However, a flurry of late fouls proved detrimental, allowing Beacon to methodically extend their lead through free throws, sealing the hard-fought victory.
This loss marks the fourth consecutive setback for Atlantis after four straight wins.
Story and image courtesy athleticsau.com
