Category: Apprentice

Builders Solidify NSAC Lead with Win over VPCC, 62-46

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School used a strong second half to pull away from Hampton Roads rival Virginia Peninsula and record its sixth New South win, 62-46, Saturday afternoon.

Senior Shawn Eley led the Builders with 19 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. Junior Avin Hawkins came off the bench to add 13 points.

Javion Majette, the 2022 NSAC MVP, led the Gators with 14 points and 8 boards.

Apprentice now holds a commanding 6-0 NSAC record atop the standings and is 11-6 overall. VPCC falls to 7-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play, tied with Blue Lights and Central International for third place. Mid-Atlantic Christian holds the second place position with a 3-1 NSAC record.

Image courtesy 7CitiesHooptape

Builders Dominate CIC, Improve to 4-0 in NSAC

RICHMOND, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team moved to 4-0 in New South Athletic Conference play with an 86-48 win over Central International Saturday afternoon.

After CIC (2-2 overall, 1-2 NSAC) hit a layup off the opening tip, Apprentice went on a 12-3 run to take the lead and not look back, leading for the rest of the contest. The lead got out to 32 by halftime at 50-18 and stretched to as many as 42 points before the final horn.

  • Shawn Eley had a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Tony Epps, Jr. finished two assists shy of a triple-double, notching 10 points and 10 boards to go with his eight dimes.
  • Karree Smith also finished in double figures with 11 points.
  • Apprentice (9-5, 4-0) shot 59.2 percent from the floor, hitting 5-of-10 threes along the way.

The game was in stark contrast to the November 12 meeting between the two teams when CIC trailed by only one with less than two minutes to play. The Builders would score the final six points to secure the win, 87-80.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Sweeps Cruzin’ Classic

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team went 2-0 in the Cruzin’ Classic this week, taking down third-ranked Atlantis Tuesday before routing Florida Palms on Wednesday.

Tuesday, the USCAA sixth-ranked Builders jumped out to an early lead before Atlantis raced back to take the lead midway through the first half. Apprentice (7-5 overall, 3-0 NSAC) would use an 11-0 run to retake the lead and take it to halftime, up 33-29. In the second half, the Builders pulled away early, leading by as many as 15 and held on to knock off the No. 3 team in the national coaches poll by a final score of 73-60.

Wednesday, Apprentice found themselves in a tight game at halftime, leading 38-37, before clamping down the defense in the second half and sprinting away with an 86-59 win over Florida Palms.

Shawn Eley averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per outing in the tournament to lead the way for Apprentice, while Karree Smith put up 16.5 points per game. Against Florida Palms, Jayden Eason, Adrion Wall and Clifton Goode put up double figures as well.

The Builders will now rest through the holiday break before retaking the floor in 2023 against Appalachian Bible at home on January 6 at 7 p.m.

Story courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Takes Down Cheyney, 69-59

CHEYNEY, Pa. – Three Builders finished in double figures as the Apprentice School men’s basketball team took down Cheyney Saturday afternoon, 69-59.

Cheyney scored the first six points of the game, but from then on, the Builders controlled the game, taking the lead with a 9-2 run and never relinquishing it throughout the first half.

Cheyney (2-9) retook the lead briefly in the second half, but again Apprentice (5-5, 3-0 NSAC) used a big run to seize back control, cruising through the final eight minutes to take the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Shawn Eley led all scorers with 18 points, while Karree Smith added 16. Adrion Wall came off the bench to contribute 14 points.
  • The Builders shot 44 percent from the floor.

NEXT UP

Apprentice will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to take part in the Cruzzin’ Classic starting Tuesday against Atlantis. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Builders’ Eley Named POTW

Senior swingman Shawn Eley has been named Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for his outstanding work in three games for Apprentice last week.

At Virginia Wesleyan, Eley scored nine points and hauled in 12 rebounds, but he was just getting started. At the NSAC game against Blue Lights College, the Outside Machinist worked inside and out for 21 points and 10 boards. The Elizabeth City, North Carolina native then turned it up against his hometown rival, pouring in 24 points, grabbing eight rebounds and nicking five steals against Elizabeth City State.

Congratulations to Apprentice senior Shawn Eley, our New South MBB Player of the Week!

Apprentice Captures 90-74 Road Win at Blue Lights

APEX, N.C. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team took down Blue Lights in New South Athletic Conference play Tuesday night, 90-72.

Blue Lights took the early advantage and led most of the first half. Trailing 31-24 at the 3:11 mark, the Builders went on a 9-0 run to end the half and take their first lead of the contest at 33-31.

In the second half, Apprentice turned up the heat defensively, pulling away throughout the half by turning over the Thoroughbreds and turning it into points as they won their first road game of the 2022-23 season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Two Builders finished with double-doubles as Shawn Eley put up 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Jayden Eason racked up 15 points with 14 boards. Karree Smith also had 21 points, while Chris Himmon put up 11.
  • BLC’s Keyshawn Bryant led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
  • Apprentice hit 8-of-25 three pointers on the night.
  • The Builders pulled down 27 offensive rebounds.

Story courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Holds Off Cheyney

NEWPORT NEWS – Karree Smith led the 7th-ranked Apprentice School men’s basketball team with 19 points Saturday as the Builders held off Cheyney with a stellar defensive effort, 65-53.

After the two teams traded blows through the first seven minutes to get to an 11-11 score, the Builders went on a 10-3 stretch to take the lead for good. Apprentice (3-3 overall, 2-0 NSAC) pushed the lead out to as many as 17 in the first half before the Wolves fought back to trim the lead to single digits midway through the second half.

Cheyney (2-6) got as close as eight points down the stretch, but the Builders answered each time to keep the game at a comfortable margin to get back in the win column.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Apprentice is now 3-0 at home.
  • Caleb Mielewski finished with 11 points as the only other Builder in double figures.
  • The Apprentice defense forced 18 turnovers.

NEXT UP

The Builders will hit the road down to Virginia Wesleyan Monday.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

MACU Faces “Championship Run” This Weekend

After an extended Thanksgiving break that saw Apprentice as the only team in action, NSAC teams ramp back up with five of the league’s six men’s basketball teams on the floor this weekend. But for Mid-Atlantic Christian, it’s not just a post-turkey exercise.

It’s Championship Weekend.

“I told the guys that this is our championship,” said Mustangs coach Charles Sims. “We have three games in three days, and we want to be 6-1 at the end of it.”

With its only loss at NCAA Division 1 NC Central on November 16, MACU is off to one of the best starts in program history, and with the Mustangs sporting a number 8 ranking in the latest USCAA Division 1 coaches poll, Sims sees this weekend as an opportunity.

“We are 0-12 against NC Wesleyan. We need to fix that,” Sims said. The Mustangs face the D3 Bishops in Rocky Mount, NC on Friday night, but that’s just the start. They host familiar USCAA foe Christendom on Saturday, then return to Rocky Mount to take on D3 Greensboro College on Sunday, a stretch that takes on a resemblance to a national championship tournament.

In other games, USCAA seventh-ranked Apprentice hosts Cheyney and Virginia Peninsula travels to Mountain Gateway, both on Saturday. On Sunday, Blue Lights visits VPCC in the Gators’ conference opener while Carolina Christian rolls down I-40 to take on Greensboro Prep.

Southern Virginia Holds Off Apprentice

BUENA VISTA, Va. – Perhaps the turkey had not had time to wear off for the Builders. Regardless, Apprentice fell behind early and tied the game, but could not overtake Southern Virginia, eventually falling 80-71 in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.

Southern Virginia (3-3) would hold Apprentice scoreless in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game, jumping out to an early 8-0 advantage. After the slow start, the Builders would catch fire, going on a 10-2 run to tie the game in the early stages of the first half. The tie was the closest the game would be, with the Builders never leading in the match.

Although Apprentice (2-2 overall, 2-0 NSAC) never held an advantage, it would not go away without a fight, cutting the deficit to two with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. Both defenses would lock down in the closing minutes of the first stanza with the only points coming from the Knights, who would score just four points in the final four minutes, including a Baker driving layup as time expired to give his team a six point lead at the break.

In the second 20 minutes, Southern Virginia looked to run away with the game but Apprentice held its ground.

A Brian Tapia three-pointer would stretch the Knights’ lead to 16, the largest of the game, with just over six minutes on the clock. The Builders did their best to battle back, but the advantage proved to be too much and the game ended with a score of 80-71 in favor of the Knights, who shot an impressive 60 percent from the field in the second half.

SVU’s Malakai Olson led all scorers with 21 points. Alvin Hawkins led Apprentice with 17.

This was the third-ever meeting between the programs with the Builders winning the first matchup in 2018 and the Knights evening the series last season, winning 77-66 in Knight Arena.

Story and image courtesy knightathletics.com