Category: Blue Lights College

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

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.

Thoroughbreds Weather Centurion Rally, 111-102

APEX, N.C. – Blue Lights College ran out to an early 22-point lead, then survived the anticipated Carolina Christian comeback for its first win of the season, 111-102 in Apex, NC on Tuesday night.

The Thoroughbreds came out of the gate clicking with their fast-break offense scoring at will, and led 28-6 just 7:20 into the game. It was then that CCC settled into its game and began the long, methodical road back, closing the gap to within seven before settling for a 48-38 halftime deficit.

But the Centurions weren’t done. After the break, junior forward Daishawn George led CCC back with his work in the paint and the Centurions took their first lead, 94-93, with 3:40 remaining. The two teams would trade the lead two more times before the Horses would finally manage the clock and claim their first NSAC win.

“This was a really great test for us,” Blue Lights coach Nolan Adams said. “I told the guys this week that Carolina Christian would not go away, whether they were down 20 or 40, up or down, they would keep coming at us, and they did. They’re super well-coached and they work super hard, and they kept coming at us for 40 minutes. We were able to withstand the run and make a bigger run of our own, and we were able to put the game away.”

BLC (1-2 overall, 1-1 NSAC) needed another outstanding performance by freshman forward Wol Yak to get its first conference win. Yak finished with 42 points, including 26 in the second half, along with 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 assists. Frontcourt mate Keyshawn Bryant recorded a double-double with 22 points and 18 boards. Freshman point guard Sam Benton added 24 points.

Carolina Christian dropped to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in New South play.

Yak Named Player of the Week

Wol Yak of Blue Lights College has been named the first New South Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the 2022-23 season.

Yak’s college basketball career got off to an impressive start this past week. The 6-6 freshman led his team in scoring in both games on the road. For the week, Yak totaled 49 points, 19 boards, 2 blocks, and 2 steals (avg 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal), while shooting an impressive 52% from the field and 37% from 3.

Yak is the brother of former Thoroughbreds forward Yak Yak.

Congratulations to Wol Yak, the NSAC Player of the Week!

Builders Hold off Feisty Thoroughbreds in Conference Opener

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – After fighting to a 32-32 draw at halftime, Apprentice pulled away from Blue Lights in the game’s final 10 minutes to claim an 80-73 win in the season opener for both teams.

The Builders (1-0 overall, 1-0 NSAC) led by as many as 10 down the stretch, but BLC always seemed to have an answer, most often a three pointer, to get the lead manageable again. Blue Lights (0-1, 0-1) actually outshot Apprentice 39.7% to 36.5%, but the Builders made the most of their rebounds, outscoring the Herd 23-13 on second chances.

BLC’s Wol Yak led all scorers with 23 points. Apprentice’s Adrion Wall came off the bench to lead the Builders with 21.

It was the season and conference opener for both squads.

First Conference Tilt of Season Tips Tonight

Apprentice School and Blue Lights College are wasting no time jumping into the conference schedule as they will start their seasons with the New South Conference Tip-Off Classic tonight in Virginia Beach.

The Builders are coming off a 14-15 campaign that saw them advance to the Eastern Metro Athletic Conference finals and the USCAA tournament. Apprentice is picked to finish second in the NSAC under the leadership of veteran coach Evan Kee.

The Thoroughbreds finished 18-12 in ’21-22 but sport a fresh new lineup and are led by first year coach Nolan Adams. BLC is tabbed to finish fifth.

The two teams met in January last season with Apprentice taking a 91-80 win.

Game time is 6:00 pm and can be viewed here.

Gators Picked to Repeat in Men’s Basketball

Virginia Peninsula has been tabbed to repeat as NSAC men’s basketball champs this season in a vote by the league’s coaches, with Apprentice and Mid-Atlantic hot on their heels.

VPCC, formerly Thomas Nelson Community College, swept through the conference undefeated last year and finished 18-1 overall, their only loss to 10th-ranked Sandhills.

Both the Gators and the Builders collected three first-place votes, showing how much respect they have among their fellow coaches.

2022-23 NSAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Rankings

  1. Virginia Peninsula – 23 (3)
  2. Apprentice – 20 (3)
  3. MACU – 18
  4. Carolina Christian – 12
  5. Blue Lights – 10
  6. Central International – 7

Here are some of the comments from the league’s coaches entering the season:

  • “The competition will be tough, but we are preparing our guys for it. We have a great chance to compete for a title because our guys work hard and have great chemistry on and off the court.“
  • “Apprentice School comes with the most experienced team in the league and are extremely deep this year in every position. Coach Kee has grown that program into one that will be tough for the next few years.”
  • “We look forward to the conference schedule against a competitive group of opponents. Every team in the league has talent and is capable of winning the league. Should be a fun year.“
  • “MACU had a strong recruiting class to add to their returnees as well with some good size and length. Coach Sims has hit the ground running in his first year at the helm.”
  • “Blue Lights is a wild card with a new coach and brand new team this year, but they could be able to shake the conference up.”