NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team kept things rolling Wednesday night with an 82-63 win over Methodist in its home opener.

After a slow start saw both teams combine for just three made baskets in the first three minutes of the game, the Builder offense started to wake up, going on a 14-4 run to take a 16-8 lead with 11 minutes to go in the first half. The Monarchs were able to hang around at that deficit for most of the remainder of the first half until Apprentice stretched the lead to 37-21 at halftime.

The Builders (3-0) came out of halftime hot, stretching the lead to as many as 19 before Methodist began to claw back into the game. Trailing 52-37, the Monarchs (1-1) went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to seven before trimming it down to seven again with 7:01 to play in a 58-51 contest. Apprentice reeled off five straight points in a matter of seconds to extend the lead back to double figures and never looked back.

Karree Smith had a game high 17 points to go with six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Adrion Wall added 14 points, including two three pointers, while Chris Hinmon had 10 points in just 12 minutes of action.

As a team, Apprentice ended the night with 15 steals and 40 points in the paint.

The Builders will now have nearly two weeks without a game before they travel to North Carolina Wesleyan on November 26.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com