Category: Apprentice

Apprentice Claims NSAC Championship With 64-52 Win over VPCC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team completed its quest for the New South Athletic Conference crown with a 64-52 win over rival Virginia Peninsula Community College Sunday afternoon.

The Builders led wire-to-wire, pulling out to a 6-0 lead in a low scoring first half. Apprentice led 26-19 at the break before finally putting some distance between themselves and the Gators midway through the second half, allowing for the celebration to begin late in the contest for the conference tournament championship.

Tony Epps, Jr. had a career-high 20 points, hitting 3-of-4 three pointers on the night. CJ Highsmith had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Adrion Wall also added 12 points.

The Builders’ 20 wins is the most in a season since winning 23 back in the 2001-02 season. That season ended in a national championship, the first for the men’s basketball program at the USCAA level.

With the win, the Builders improve to 20-7 on the season, as they await official word of their next steps for the season. Currently, Apprentice is ranked No. 3 in the latest USCAA National Coaches’ Poll for Division I. As there are no automatic qualifiers in USCAA Division I, there will be eight teams announced as the tournament field on the live bid announcement show March 5.

Story and image courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com

Top-seed Apprentice Prevails 97-88 over BLC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Top-seeded Apprentice School rallied late in its New South Athletic Conference tournament semifinal game to defeated 4th seed Blue Lights College 97-88 and advance into Sunday’s title game.

BLC (9-7) played the Builders (19-7) tough for all 40 minutes, holding various leads throughout the game. The Herd protected the paint and dared the Builders to beat them from the perimeter. Apprentice answered with eight three-pointers in the first half, accounting for half of their field goals, and led 48-44 at the halftime break.

Apprentice’s lead fizzled away, thanks to a 7-0 run to start the second half. BLC’s lead grew to as many as seven with 13:49 left but Apprentice fought back to take a 74-73 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. The Herd led 78-76 with eight minutes left, but the NSAC regular-season champion Builders responded with solid defense, holding BLC scoreless for the next three minutes. With 4:15 to go, Apprentice mounted a 93-80 advantage that ended up being too much for the Thoroughbreds to withstand down the stretch.

NSAC MVP Shawn Eley of Apprentice led all scorers with 35 points, recording a double-double paired with 15 rebounds and made 11-of-12 free throws. The Builders made 15 threes altogether and scored 21 points off BLC turnovers.

The Thoroughbreds’ All-NSAC forward Wol Yak poured in 24 points, while Sam Benton Jr. added 22.

Apprentice now faces Virginia Peninsula, a 70-63 winner over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the day’s second semifinal, for the championship Sunday at 4:00 pm.

Story courtesy Craig Green/BLC Media

Builders’ Kee Named NSAC Coach of the Year

Apprentice School head coach Evan Kee has been named the New South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Builders to a perfect 11-0 record in league play.

In his fifth season at the helm, Kee has led Apprentice to an 18-7 regular season mark, the most wins since 2003-04. The Builders are currently ranked 4th in USCAA Division 1, and are number one in field goal percentage, 2nd in rebounding, and 7th in blocks and forced turnovers.

Kee also guided two players onto the NSAC All-Conference Team this season, including NSAC MVP Shawn Eley. His squad has earned the top-seed in the upcoming NSAC Tournament.

Congratulations to Evan Kee, the 2023 New South Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year!

Image courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Gators’ Win Finalizes MBB Playoff Picture

Virginia’s Peninsula’s 79-70 win over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the final regular season conference game of the year pushes the Gators into the third seed for next week’s NSAC Basketball Tournament.

Fourth-seed Blue Lights College and Carolina Christian, which tied Christendom for the 5th seed, will open the tournament Tuesday night in Apex, North Carolina in a quarterfinal game. VPCC will host Christendom Thursday night in the other opening round matchup in Newport News, Virginia. The two winners will advance to Saturday’s semifinals at the Apprentice Athletic Center, also in Newport News.

Thanks to Joe Dotson/Christendom Athletics for the bracket graphic

Gators Playing for Third Seed Today vs MACU

Today’s game featuring Mid-Atlantic Christian at Virginia Peninsula will be the 23rd and final New South Conference men’s basketball game of the season, and still there is something to play for besides pride.

The VPCC Gators enter the contest at 2-4 in NSAC play (9-9 overall) and holding down the 4th seed for next week’s conference tournament. A Gator win would propel them into the 3rd seed ahead of Blue Lights College. This would not have an impact on the quarterfinals, which are locked in, but it does impact the semifinal bracket.

If Peninsula gets past MACU and claims the third seed, then the winner of Thursday’s VPCC/Christendom quarterfinal will play #2 MACU, and Tuesday’s BLC/Carolina Christian winner will face top seed Apprentice in next Saturday’s tournament semifinals. If The Gators lose to the Mustangs today, then VPCC and Blue Lights will keep their 3rd and 2nd seeds, respectively.

Still confused? Check back after today’s game.

Today’s game tips at 2pm at Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia.

Apprentice Wraps Up Undefeated NSAC Schedule

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – With a 72-56 win over Mid-Atlantic Christian Wednesday night, the Apprentice School men’s basketball team wrapped up their New South Athletic Conference schedule a perfect 11-0.

The Builders led wire-to-wire in the contest between the two top teams in the league, despite hitting just three three-pointers on the night. Apprentice led 35-26 at the break and held off each and every push the Mustangs had in the second half to extend the lead out to its final 16 point margin.

Wednesday had one of the more balanced scoring attacks the Builders have had all year with 10 different players contributing no more than 12 points on the night. Karree Smith led Apprentice with 12, followed by Avin Hawkins and CJ Highsmith with 10 each. The Builders were also +12 in the rebound column. Apprentice won the points in the paint battle, 48-20.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Builders Blow Past Bengals 98-72 on Senior Day

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On a day where the senior class was recognized, the Apprentice School men’s basketball team took care of business against Maine-Fort Kent, 98-72, Saturday evening.

After trading baskets early, the Builders ran away, stretching the lead out to as many as 37 in the second half on the way to their seventh win over the past eight outings.

Jayden Eason and Karree Smith each put up a team-high 16 points on the game. Shawn Eley had 11. In total, 11 Builders ended the night in the scoring column shooting over 53 percent from the floor.

The Builders will play their final regular season home game on Wednesday as they host Mid-Atlantic Christian in an NSAC matchup. Tip time is 7 p.m.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Secures Top Seed with 40-Point Win

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The New South Athletic Conference regular season title can call Newport News home as The Apprentice School men’s basketball team dispatched Christendom, 82-42, Tuesday night.

From the opening tip, it was all Apprentice as the Builders ran away early, leading 45-15 at halftime on the back of a 7-for-13 three point shooting half. AS didn’t look back in the second half, pushing the lead out to as many as 47 in the clinching game. The Builders shot nearly 51 percent as a team, including 11 threes.

The win secures the Builders as the number one seed in the upcoming NSAC Tournament.

Avin Hawkins and Jayden Eason each had 17 points. Hawkins was 4-for-8 behind the arc, while Eason hit 7-of-11 from the floor. The Crusaders’ John Paul Vander Woude finished with 19 points.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Tournament Implications Loom Large Tuesday Night

Tuesday’s Blue Lights home game against Virginia Peninsula Community College will play a major factor in determining first round matchups in the 2023 New South Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.

After this weekend’s results, here are how things stand (NSAC W-L):

Apprentice 9-0*
Mid-Atlantic Christian 5-1*
Virginia Peninsula 2-3
Blue Lights 1-3
Christendom 0-3
Carolina Christian 0-6

*Clinched first round bye

Remaining NSAC games:
Apprentice: 2 (vs Christendom, vs MACU)
MACU: 3 (vs. CCC, at Apprentice, at VPCC)
VPCC: 2 (at BLC, vs MACU)
BLC: 1 (vs VPCC)
Christendom: 1 (at Apprentice)
Carolina Christian: 1 (at MACU)

Both Apprentice and MACU have clinched a bye into the semifinals.

A BLC win against Virginia Peninsula on Tuesday will lock up an opening round game for the Herd at Hope Community Church Arena, taking place during the week of February 21st. If the Gators win, it will clinch a home game for themselves as well as a guaranteed third place finish.

A Thoroughbreds loss – combined with a Christendom win at Apprentice – would secure the Crusaders a home playoff game, forcing BLC to play on the road.

The Thoroughbreds-Gators game tips off at 6:30pm EST, airing LIVE on the Thoroughbreds Sports Network on YouTube. Christendom-Apprentice tips off 30 minutes later at 7pm EST, also on YouTube.

The NSAC Basketball Tournament final four will be held February 25 and 26 in Newport News, Virginia.

Story and image courtesy Craig Green/BLC Media

Builders Survive Upset Attempt by CCC, 81-78

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Carolina Christian led twice in the final three minutes but could not close the deal as Apprentice survived the upset-minded Centurions 81-78 Saturday afternoon.

The Builders took their largest lead of the game on a Jayden Eason layup at 54-44 with 12:48 to play in the second half, but the Centurions would not fold and started to chip away at the lead. Daishaun George gave CCC a 74-73 lead off a layup with 3:08 remaining, but a Caleb Mielewski shot returned the favor for Apprentice just 12 seconds later. Two free throws by the Centurions’ Antonio Baldwin gave them a 76-75 advantage at the 1:57 mark, but another Eason bucket flipped the lead again 11 seconds later.

The teams traded buckets once again before Shawn Eley put an exclamation point on the game with a Builder dunk at :17. A George 3-point attempt missed with 2 seconds to play for the final score.

Adrion Wall came of the bench with 19 points for Apprentice, and Eley recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Reserve Eli Faybain led the Centurions with 19.

Apprentice remains undefeated in conference play at 9-0 and 14-7 overall. Carolina Christian moves to 0-5 and 3-12.

Image courtesy gobuilders.com