Month: January 2026

Concord Classic to Pit NSAC Rivals This Weekend

CONCORD, N.C. – The highlight of the 2026 NSAC men’s basketball regular season happens this weekend as Barber-Scotia College hosts the Concord Classic.

“Weather forced the cancellation of last weekend’s Pensacola Classic, but neither rain nor snow nor dark of night will stop us this weekend,” joked NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “But seriously, we’ll be keeping an eye on the forecast, but the teams are all here and ready to tip off.”

With several upsets already in the books this season, this weekend is being highly anticipated.

All games will take place at Newsom Gym on the campus of Barber-Scotia at 145 Cabarrus Avenue W, Concord, North Carolina. Tickets are available at the door, and you can watch the live stream here.

Friday (Day 1) January 30

2:00 PM — SC Central 75, Atlantis 72

4:00 PM —Apprentice 74, Southeast Christian 42

6:00 PM — Beacon 96, Barber-Scotia 80

8:00 PM — MACU 77, Millennia 50

Saturday (Day 2) January 31

12:00 AM — Beacon vs SC Central

2:00 PM — Apprentice vs Atlantis

4:00 PM — Barber-Scotia vs Millennia

6:00 PM — Southeast Christian vs MACU

Sunday (Day 3) February 1

10:00 AM — Millennia vs Apprentice

12:00 PM — MACU vs Beacon

2:00 PM — SC Central vs Southeast Christian

4:00 PM — Atlantis vs Barber-Scotia

Southeast Downs Crosstown Rival Beacon 78-69

LEESBURG, Fl. – Southeast Christian jumped out to an early 12-point advantage and led start-to-finish in defeating rival Beacon College 78-69 Monday night.

“It was the best basketball I’ve seen my team play,” said Eagles coach Dwayne Walker. “They are buying in and locking into what I have been saying.”

Southeast (15-7 overall, 2-7 NSAC) took a 36-28 margin into intermission. The Blazers (10-10, 5-4) cut the deficit to four points before SECC stretched the lead to the final score.

Lomar Sparrow led the Eagles with 29 points while Karlton Walton added 15 and Tasir Best contributed 13. Coy Sizemore finished with 11.

Chris Lampkins led Beacon with 18 points.

Both teams will be back in action this Friday at the Concord Classic in Concord, North Carolina, with Beacon facing Barber-Scotia and Southeast taking on Apprentice.

Image courtesy Southeast Christian Athletics

Pensacola Classic Canceled Due to Inclement Weather

MILTON, Fl. – The New South Athletic Conference released this statement regarding the Pensacola Classic:

“Due to the threat of severe winter weather across the Southeast this weekend, conference administration, athletic directors, and coaches have made the difficult the decision to cancel the 2026 Pensacola Classic. The overarching consensus was for the safety of the players, coaches and fans who would be travelling. In consideration of the canceled conference games and how that might adversely affect the standings, it was agreed to expand the season-ending conference tournament to include all men’s basketball teams which choose to participate.”

As of now, the Concord Classic scheduled for January 30-February 1 at Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina is still scheduled as planned.

MACU Sees Lead Slip Away at SC State 56-50

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Mid-Atlantic Christian let a second-half lead slip away Wednesday night, falling 56-50 to NCAA Division 1 foe South Carolina State.

The Mustangs (6-10 overall, 2-0 NSAC) led the majority of the game and carried a 34-27 advantage into halftime but managed just 16 points after the break as the Bulldogs tightened defensively and controlled the tempo down the stretch.

Janus Shepherd led MACU with 21 points, hitting 8 of 18 shots from the floor and knocking down four 3-pointers. Terrance Williams added nine points, while Elijah Dias chipped in six for the Mustangs.

South Carolina State (4-16) was paced by Obie Bronston Jr. with 18 points, while Chris Parker and Florian Tenebay combined for 25 points and 13 rebounds.

Mid-Atlantic Christian struggled at the foul line and committed key turnovers late as South Carolina State closed the game with timely free throws. The Bulldogs outscored the Mustangs 29-16 in the second half to seal the comeback.

Graphic courtesy MACU Athletics

Mustangs Stampede Sabers 95-72

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Janus Shepherd scored 19 points and Mid-Atlantic Christian used a dominant first half to pull away for a 95-72 win over Barber-Scotia in an NSAC men’s college basketball game Monday evening.

MACU (6-9 overall, 2-0 NSAC) jumped out to a 51-27 halftime lead and never looked back, outscoring the Sabers in points in the paint and on second-chance opportunities. Shepherd went 8 of 19 from the field and added three rebounds, while Stew Clough finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Terrence Williams also added 12 points, Nikko Trafton had 11 and Elijah Dias contributed 10, helping MACU overwhelm Barber-Scotia with balanced scoring.

“The guys came out focused on defending home court,” said Mustangs coach Charles Sims. “They saw what Barber-Scotia just did at Apprentice, and they were determined not to let that happen here.”

Barber-Scotia (6-6, 2-2) was led by Londen Roseman, who scored 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Nicholas Gravely added 14 points and four rebounds, and Channing Beadles chipped in 14 off the bench. The Sabers shot 42.2% from the field but struggled defensively in the opening half.

MACU finished at 45.9% shooting and held a 53-36 rebounding advantage.

Beacon Knocks off Atlantis in OT 78-75

LEESBURG, Fl. – Chris Lampkins scored 21 points and Javeon Wells-Reddick added 19 as Beacon held off Atlantis University 78-75 in overtime Sunday afternoon.

Beacon (9-9 overall, 5-3 NSAC) built its edge at the free-throw line, going 23 of 36, and overcame a strong individual effort from Atlantis’ Santiago Insaurralde to secure the victory. Wells-Reddick was efficient inside, finishing 6 of 8 from the field while pulling down nine rebounds. Noah Wilhelm chipped in 18 points, and Tony Wade contributed 10 points and seven assists for Beacon.

Atlantis (11-8, 5-2) was led by Insaurralde, who poured in a game-high 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Artem Sorokin and Dennis Marrero each scored 11 points, while Ornie Brooks added nine.

Atlantis, ranked seventh in the latest USCAA Division 1 poll, shot 42.9% from the field but struggled from long range, hitting just 4 of 23 3-point attempts. Beacon finished at 44.6% overall and used balanced scoring and late free throws to close out the win.

Image courtesy Beacon Athletics/Ben Silva

B-SC Hands Builders Second Loss in MLK Classic

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Nicholas Gravely scored 19 points and Jalen Mattocks added 20 off the bench as Barber-Scotia pulled away in the second half to defeat The Apprentice School 84-73 at the MLK Classic Sunday afternoon.

The Builders were without the services of All-American guard Donovan Means, who was injured in the first half of Saturday’s loss to SC Central Christian and is listed as day-to-day.

The game was tied 34-34 at halftime before Barber-Scotia (6-5, 2-1) used a 50-point second half to take control. Mattocks was a key factor, going 12 of 15 from the free-throw line and grabbing 14 rebounds to go with his 20 points. Landon Griffin finished with 17 points and three steals, while Londen Roseman chipped in 13.

Barber-Scotia shot 49.1% from the field and converted 22 of 30 free throws.

Apprentice (10-7, 2-2) was led by Shamon Rosser, who scored a team-high 22 points off the bench. Ahmiir Colpetro added 17 points, while Jahlil Hope posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Despite a 44-38 rebounding edge, the Builders were held to 37.3% shooting as the Sabers sealed the road victory.

SC Central Shocks Apprentice 89-80

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — South Carolina Central Christian pulled off an 89-80 upset over The Apprentice School Saturday night in the MLK Classic.

The Gladiators (2-10 overall, 1-3 NSAC) used an efficient offense and balanced scoring to earn the win against the Builders (10-6, 2-1). Nazir Sample scored 14 points and dished out nine assists, while Davarious Johnson added 13 points to pace the visitors. David Lias contributed 13 and McCoy Bell chipped in 12 as S4C shot 50.8 % from the field, including 40.9 % from 3-point range.

Apprentice was led by Jahlil Hope’s 30 points and Wayne Hedgepeth’s 16, but struggled to find consistent perimeter scoring, finishing 2-for-13 from deep. Ahmiir Colpetro added 10 points for the Builders.

South Carolina Central Christian built a first-half lead and held off multiple Apprentice rallies to secure the NSAC road victory.

Image courtesy SC Central Christian Athletics

Insuarralde’s 28 Pushes Atlantis Past Southeast

LEESBURG, Fl. – Senior forward Santiago Insuarralde scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead USCAA #7 Atlantis to an 81-77 come-from-behind win over Southeast Christian Saturday night.

The Atlanteans never led in the first half as the Eagles were hot from the jump, leading by as many as 11. SECC took a 45-35 advantage at halftime.

But after intermission, it was all Insuarralde and Atlantis (11-7 overall, 5-1 NSAC), which took its first lead 55-54 with close to 13 minutes to play and never trailed again. The Atlanteans slowly put separation between themselves and the Eagles, extending the lead to as many as seven down the stretch. Southeast pulled within two, 79-77, with less than 10 seconds to play, but AU sank its free throws to put the game away.

Ornie Brooks contributed 15 points for Atlantis while Nikko Landon and Folayemi Salako added 10 each.

Southeast (13-7, 1-7) was led by Lomar Sparrow with 25 points.

Image courtesy Atlantis Athletics

URBE Runs Past Beacon to Stay Unbeaten in NSAC Play

HIALEAH GARDENS, Fl. – Gianmario Fernandez posted a career-best 22 points to lead URBE to a commanding 89-66 NSAC win over Beacon Friday night.

It was a back and forth first half with UU (15-1 overall, 6-0 NSAC) taking a 44-37 lead into halftime. The Blazers came out of the break hot on a 14-4 run to retake the lead by three.

That’s when Fernandez turned it on, scoring 19 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc and 7-of12 from the field. The Tigers ended the game on a 34-10 run, fueled by relentless defense and balanced scoring, to close out the win.

Luis Carias poured in 16 points and Ronal Hodelin chalked a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Chris Lampkins made his NSAC debut for Beacon (8-9, 4-3) with 22 points and five boards. Noah Wilhelm added 15.

Image courtesy URBE Athletics