Category: Apprentice

Lighthouse Holds off Apprentice to Take Regular Season Title 76-73

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Lighthouse Christian led wire to wire but had to fend off a late Apprentice rally to claim a 76-73 victory and the NSAC men’s basketball regular season championship Thursday night.

The Makos (17-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) led by as many as 18 in the second half, but the USCAA top-ranked Builders would not go quietly. Apprentice (19-5, 5-2) clawed all the way back to cut the lead to two but could get no closer.

LCC jumped out to a big 21-7 lead just six minutes into the game before Apprentice settled in, cutting the lead to as few as one on two occasions before halftime. Lighthouse came out again in the second half and pushed the lead out to 18 before the Builders’ defense woke up and allowed them to have a chance to tie the game with five seconds left, but the shot bounced off the rim and the Makos clinched the regular season crown.

The win was the third conference victory in as many days for Lighthouse and their ninth straight overall.

For Apprentice, the loss snapped a 19-game home winning streak that dated back over a year ago to early February 2023.

Eddie Brown for Lighthouse had a game-high 30 points. Avin Hawkins led the Builders with 23 points while Adrion Wall added 12.

Karree Smith surpassed 1000 career points in his collegiate career with his first basket of the night. He finished with 15 points in 25 minutes of action. He has now scored 962 points while at Apprentice during his three years in Newport News.

NSAC teams now await the results of a coaches poll to determine seedings for the conference tournament, slated for March 1-3 at Apprentice. The results will be announced Tuesday, February 20.

Walker McCrary at Apprentice Athletics contributed to this story.

Makos Win Sets Up Regular Season Title Match Tonight

RICHMOND, Va. – Lighthouse Christian College guard Eddie Brown poured in 30 points Wednesday afternoon in leading the Makos to their second NSAC win in less than 24 hours, 73-41, over Central International College.

The win for Lighthouse (16-4 overall, 2-1 NSAC) sets up a winner-take-all game Thursday night in Newport News, Virginia when Apprentice (19-4, 5-1) hosts the Makos. The contest is the final regular season game of the year in conference play, and the winner will claim the New South Conference regular season men’s basketball championship based on winning percentage.

While the winner will get bragging rights, it will be up to league coaches to decide who will get the top seed in the NSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The coaches will be polled following tonight’s regular season finale to determine seeding for all six teams. The tournament will run March 1-3 in Newport News.

Apprentice Holds On for 85-80 Win Over MACU

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team found themselves in a battle Tuesday night and ended up on the winning side of an 85-80 matchup against Mid-Atlantic Christian in New South Athletic Conference play.

The top-ranked Builders (19-4 overall, 5-1 NSAC) came out red hot to take an 11-2 lead early before the Mustangs settled in. Apprentice took a 12-point lead at 29-17 with just over eight minutes to go, but MACU answered with a 12-0 run to tie the game up before taking their first lead moments later at 30-29.

After AS retook the lead and held it at halftime, 42-35, the Builders and Mustangs traded blows throughout the entire second half. MACU (8-16, 3-4) cut the lead down to as few as two with 34 seconds to go, but could get no closer as the Builders held on for the win.

Karree Smith finished with 20 points to lead the way for Apprentice, while Adrion Wall scored all 15 of his points in the second half. Donovan Means had 11 points, and Kelby Saunders, Jr., finished the night with 10.

The win, coupled with Blue Lights’ loss Tuesday to Lighthouse Christian, puts Apprentice in sole possession atop the NSAC standings. The Builders will wrap up NSAC play Thursday as they host Lighthouse at 7 p.m.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

FINALLY!

Apprentice Defeats JWU for First Time in Program History

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – For the first time in program history, the Apprentice School men’s basketball team defeated Johnson & Wales Saturday afternoon 84-65.

The game was never in question as the Builders (15-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) jumped out quickly to a 23-13 lead eight minutes in. From there, Apprentice continued to hit shots while forcing 24 Wildcat turnovers on the day to lead by as many as 28 points with six minutes to go.

The win over the Wildcats (8-9) puts Apprentice as winners of 10 of the last 11, one of the best stretches of games in program history.

Apprentice is ranked number one in USCAA Division 1, while JWU is ranked 11th in Division 2.

Adrion Wall led the way for the Builders with 17 points, including three made threes. Kurij Harrell added 15 off the bench, while Kelby Saunders, Jr. had 13, including three shots from distance of his own. Donovan Means had six steals, marking the 39th time in program history a player has had six or more steals in a game.

The two sides had met eight times prior to Saturday, including multiple matchups as part of the former Eastern States Athletic Conference. Seven of the previous eight matchups were decided by single digits.

The Builders will next hit the road to take on USCAA D1 5th-ranked Manor on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Blue Lights Stuns Top-Ranked Apprentice 99-83

APEX, N.C. – Blue Lights used stellar shooting to lead by as many as 22 points in the second half and defeat USCAA top-ranked Apprentice 99-83 in NSAC action Tuesday night.

Blue Lights (9-5, 2-1) shot 48 percent from distance in the first half to jump out to a 12-point lead by halftime. The Thoroughbreds extended their lead to as many as 24 early in the second half before the Builders went on a run, cutting the lead to 11 midway through the second half. BLC withstood the pressure and held on to get the win in conference play.

But Thoroughbreds sophomore Wol Yak said it really started on the other end of the floor.

“Defense leads to offense,” Yak said after the game. “We planned to stop them with defense and get the ball back leading to offense. This is the game we had been waiting for all year. This is the one team we had to beat, and we did it.”

“Proud of our team for winning nine games straight coming into today,” said Builders coach Evan Kee. “Credit to Blue Lights for putting together a complete game today. We look forward to using this game as a learning lesson and bouncing back this weekend.”

It was a night of firsts in Apex. Apprentice (14-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) lost to a conference opponent for the first time since joining the league in 2022. The game also marked Blue Lights’ first win over a ranked opponent in the program’s seven-year history.

In their first meeting of the season on January 6, Apprentice defeated Blue Lights 94-89.

BLC freshman Kalil Baker led all scorers with 33 points. Freshman Donovan Means led the Builders with 25 points.

Apprentice returns home to host Johnson & Wales, ranked 10th in USCAA Division 2, on Saturday. Blue Lights hosts MACU in an NSAC game Tuesday, January 30.

Image courtesy Craig Green/BLC Media. Thanks to Walker McCray/Apprentice Athletics for his help with this story

Means Claims Player of the Week Honors for 2nd Time

For the second time this season, Donovan Means of The Apprentice School is named as the men’s basketball Player of the Week.

In the Builders’ lone game of the week, Means had 23 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 3pt) and 10 rebounds in leading AS over MACU 90-82.

The 6’3″ freshman guard from Chesterfield, Virginia was also named POTW in the first week of the season.

Congrats to Donovan Means, the NSAC Player of the Week!

Image courtesy Apprentice School Athletics

Goode’s Double-Double Paces Apprentice Past UIC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Clifton Goode finished with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds as No. 1 Apprentice took down ninth-ranked United International College on the final day of the MLK Classic Sunday 87-73.

The Builders (13-3 overall, 2-0 NSAC) are now 10-0 at home this season and have not lost in Newport News in the last 16 home games, dating back to an 11-point loss to Berkeley at home last February.

The Eagle Rays (6-8) took an early lead, coming out of the gates with a 21-15 lead midway through the first half, but the Builders answered with a 15-3 run over the next seven minutes of play to take a 30-24 lead. After being out in front 40-31 at halftime, the Builders saw their lead cut to three multiple times in the first five minutes of the second half before extending the advantage to as many as 17 to keep their unbeaten home winning streak intact.

In addition to Goode’s stat line, Adrion Wall also recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Karree Smith added 12, while Avin Hawkins contributed 11.

The Builders are in action again on Tuesday as they jump back into NSAC play at Mid-Atlantic Christian. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice 3-Point Barrage Sinks CIC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Apprentice hit a program record 18 three pointers as the Builders raced past Central International Saturday 118-70 in the MLK Classic.

The Builders (12-3 overall, 2-0 NSAC) opened the game on a 12-0 run and led 22-5 just seven minutes into the contest before CIC (7-7, 0-3) finally got rolling, cutting the lead down to as few as eight. Apprentice, ranked number 1 in the USCAA, responded with three-pointer after three-pointer to pull away and stay unbeaten in New South Athletic Conference action.

Adrion Wall had a game-high 28 points, hitting five threes on the day. Karree Smith and Donovan Means each had 15 points, while Xavien Hunter added 13 and Avin Hawkins put up 10.

The 118 points scored is the second most all-time only behind a 2009 performance against Ohio State-Marion on February 27, 2009.

In the other MLK Classic game on the men’s side Saturday, Camp defeated UIC 87-77.

The Builders will take on UIC tomorrow at 2 p.m. to wrap up the MLK Classic.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com. Photo by Mike Davis.

Wall Honored as NSAC Player of the Week

Top-ranked Apprentice opened NSAC conference play on Saturday with a hard-fought win over Blue Lights and cruised to a non-conference victory over Gallaudet on Sunday. The Builders were led by Adrion Wall, who averaged 18 points and six rebounds in the two games and has been named the Player of the Week.

Wall, a 6-3 junior guard from Norfolk, scored 15 points and grabbed five boards as the Builders picked up their first NSAC win of the year. On Sunday, Wall led all scorers with 21 while hauling in seven boards, two assists, and two steals.

Honorable Mention: Eddie Brown, Lighthouse Christian College

Congratulations to Adrion Wall, the NSAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week!

Image courtesy gobuilders.com

Top-ranked Apprentice Holds Off BLC 94-89

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Despite trailing for a majority of the game, the No. 1-ranked Apprentice School men’s basketball team battled to claim a 94-89 win over Blue Lights College in the New South Athletic Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon.

The Thoroughbreds withstood an early 8-0 push by the Builders, responding with an 8-0 run of their own to keep the game going back-and-forth early on. With the score in favor of the Builders at 24-18 midway through the first half, Blue Lights answered with a 19-4 run to take a 37-28 lead late in the period. BLC led the game at the half, 45-41, and held on to the advantage much of the second half.

In its first game under interim coach Denzel Johnson, Blue Lights (7-4 overall, 0-1 NSAC) led 72-66 at the midway point of the second half before the Builders rattled off seven straight points over a 1:53 span to retake the lead for the first time since halfway through the first period at 73-72. The game teetered back and forth before Apprentice (10-3, 1-0) reeled off a 7-0 spurt with 2:30 to play to take a 92-87 lead, a lead that would hold to give the Builders their first conference win of the season.

Sam Benton, Jr. led five Thoroughbreds in double-figure scoring with 23. Donovan Means finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds for Apprentice, 15 of those points coming in the second half. Five other Builders finished in double figures.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com