ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Adrion Wall scored a game-high 22 points, including hitting a shot to force overtime, but The Apprentice School men’s basketball team fell in the overtime period to NC Wesleyan Tuesday night 78-75.

The Builders (3-1 overall, 0-0 NSAC) jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Bishops went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game just four minutes in. The teams battled back and forth for the majority of the first half, but Apprentice got the momentum going into halftime, going on a 15-4 run late in the half to lead by as many as six before a 33-30 lead at intermission.

The Builders came out of half with the early advantage, stretching their lead to as many as 11 with a 10-2 run to start the half. NCW (3-4) kept battling on through the second half, keeping AS in arm’s reach before tying the game with 6:13 left and taking their first lead of the second half just 30 seconds later. The Bishops held the lead for the majority of the remaining time, but Wall hit a three pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.

In overtime, NC Wesleyan scored the first four points of the extra period in the first 40 seconds. After Donovan Means hit a layup at the 1:53 mark to cut the lead to one, the Bishops hit a layup and a free throw to get the advantage back up to four. Karree Smith hit a layup with nine seconds left to cut the lead to 77-75, and after the Bishops went 1-for-2 at the line, the Builders had a long heave at the buzzer to try and force a second overtime, but the shot fell short to give the Bishops a nail-biting win.

Wall’s 22 points included 4-of-10 from beyond the arc along with three blocks, three steals and a pair of assists. Smith finished with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Jayden Eason and Means each added 10.

The Builders shot just 6-of-22 from beyond the arc, while the Bishops pulled down 35 offensive rebounds and had 30 second chance points.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com