Category: Apprentice

Mustangs Knock Off Builders in OT 81-76

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Mid-Atlantic Christian forward Stewart Clough drained a 3-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, then teammate Keith Shakes, Jr. scored eight of the Mustangs’ 14 points in the bonus period to lead MACU to an 81-76 win over Apprentice Monday night.

The visitors jumped out to an 8-0 lead early before the Builders were able to get on the scoreboard. MACU (13-11 overall, 6-1 NSAC) led all but 1:47 of the first half to take a 28-26 lead into intermission.

Apprentice (14-5, 5-2) held most of the momentum out of the halftime break after Donovan Means hit a three right at the end of the first half, but the Mustangs never went away, answering every Builder run. AS led by as many as nine in the second half and led by three with eight seconds left when Clough hit a three from the left wing as time expired in regulation to force overtime, tied at 67-67.

In the extra period, MACU took the momentum and burst out to a 74-69 lead. Apprentice tied the game up moments later at 74-74 before a 7-2 run for MACU sealed the deal.

“We needed this,” said Mustangs coach Charles Sims. “This was a total team effort. All the players left it on the floor tonight. Their effort was incredible tonight. We stayed focused and achieved what we needed to accomplish. Our team free throws during the overtime was the difference.”

Shakes led the Herd with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Clough followed with 14 and eight, respectively. Keondre Rodgers and Tyus Williams had 11 points apiece.

The Builders were led by Donovan Means with 23 points.

Much like last week’s contest between the two rivals in Elizabeth City, this one saw nine ties and 10 lead changes. AS came out on top in the February 12 game, 74-66.

The game marked the first win ever by the Mustangs over the Builders in Newport News and ends a 10-game losing streak in the series.

With the win, MACU clinches finishing no lower than third in the NSAC standings with one conference game remaining against Central International next Monday, February 24. The Mustangs could move up to second if either John Melvin (FL) or Lighthouse sweep their two-game series to be played this week. Apprentice has locked up fourth place.

Thanks to Walker McCrary at Apprentice Athletics for his help with this story. Image courtesy MACU Athletics.

What We Know with One Week to Go

We have just one week (eight days actually, if you count today, but I digress) until the 2024-25 NSAC men’s basketball regular season comes to a close, thereby completing the seedings for the tournament, AND YET there are still questions to be answered! It’s been that kind of a ride. But here’s what we DO KNOW as of today:

  1. The top four spots are a crap shoot. John Melvin (FL) and Lighthouse are tied for first and are scheduled to play twice this week. Apprentice and MACU are tied for third with the Builders holding the tiebreaker, but these two teams will also play TONIGHT in Newport News, so that tiebreaker is a moot point. Suffice it to say, the three remaining games among these four will settle the order, with various combinations of wins and losses determining the top four seeds, but none of them can fall lower than fourth. So there.
  2. Beacon and SC Central are tied for fifth, but the Blazers’ conference schedule is complete while the Gladiators host Southeast Christian next Sunday. If S4C wins, it will claim fifth outright and Beacon will fall to sixth. Vice versa if Southeast wins. More on that in a moment.
  3. Atlantis is locked into seventh. Thus it has been decreed, thus it shall be.
  4. JMU (LA) is eighth, and Southeast is ninth, regardless if the Eagles win in South Carolina next weekend. Thus, the Millers and Eagles will face off in the lone first round game on Thursday, February 27 for the right to tackle the top seed the following day. Talk about incentive.

And there you have it. The picture at the top will start to clear a bit once tonight’s Battle in the Bay is over and attention turns to the first of two Pensacola Pileups. Gosh, this is fun.

Photo by Thomas T on Unsplash

Builders Knock Mustangs from Top of Standings 74-66

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Apprentice got 18 points from Donovan Means and 32 points from its bench to hand Mid-Atlantic Christian its first conference loss 74-66 Wednesday night.

The Builders (14-4 overall, 5-1 NSAC) trailed for most of the first half but stayed within striking distance and evened it up at halftime 35-35. The defending conference and USCAA champions then used the decisive second half to take the lead for good and pull away for the final score.

MACU (11-10, 4-1) was led by Keith Shakes, Jr. with 22 points.

“Apprentice was the better team down the stretch,” Mustangs coach Charles Sims said after the game. “There were times in the game where we played our game and then times where we didn’t execute on both ends of the floor. Too many unforced turnovers and our shot selection during pivotal time of the game hindered our performance.”

The win propels Apprentice into third place and drops MACU to fourth. The two teams will face each other again next Monday, February 17, in Newport News, Virginia.

John Melvin (FL) and Lighthouse are now tied for first with 10-1 conference marks. They will play each other February 20 and 24 before heading to the conference tournament March 27.

Image courtesy Doug Carter/MACU Athletics

Two Big Conference Games Rescheduled

Two games with big implications for seeding in the NSAC tournament have been postponed.

Due to flu-like symptoms in both programs, the Apprentice School and Mid-Atlantic Christian University, along with the New South Athletic Conference, have agreed to postpone Wednesday night’s game to February 17. Tipoff will still be set for 7:30 p.m.

John Melvin (FL) and Lighthouse, who were also scheduled to meet Wednesday night, have agreed to reschedule due to travel conflicts with the Leesburg Classic, which ended Monday night. The date has yet to be set.

MACU currently sits atop the standings with a 4-0 conference record, while Apprentice is 3-1 and statistically in 4th behind John Melvin (FL) and Lighthouse, who are tied for 2nd at 7-1.

Mustangs Sweep, Builders Dominate in Day Three of Christmas Classic

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

Builders, Mustangs Take Day Two Wins in Christmas Classic

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.

JMCC Knocks Off Apprentice, MACU Puts Away JMU at Christmas Classic

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.

Three NSAC Teams in USCAA Top 10

The first USCAA men’s basketball rankings of the 2024-25 season are out, and the New South Conference is well represented.

Apprentice, the defending Division 1 national champions, enter the Week One rankings at number two behind undefeated Villa Maria.

Atlantis debuts at seventh despite dropping three games on their New York road trip last week.

Mid-Atlantic Christian rounds out the top 10.

Builders Drop OT Heartbreaker for First Loss

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

Apprentice Pulls Away Late for 82-63 Win Over Methodist

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