Category: Lighthouse

Lighthouse Claims First NSAC Tourney Championship

MILTON, Fla. – Daniel Poole scored 22 points, 18 in the second half, as Lighthouse Christian pulled away for an 87-76 win over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the 2025 NSAC Men’s Basketball Championship Sunday afternoon.

MACU led the entire first half, by as many as 11 points, before Lighthouse closed the gap to 42-38 at halftime. But the second half belonged to the Makos, who took their first lead, 47-46, just over two minutes into the final stanza, a lead they would not relinquish.

Sam Benton, Jr. and Eddie Brown each added 17 for Lighthouse, followed by Wol Yak with 10.

Stewart Clough led the Mustangs with 19 points. Keith Shakes, Jr. chalked 14 points and 12 boards before picking up his fifth foul with a little more than seven minutes to play. Janus Shephard and Ty Williams also scored 14 apiece.

The championship ends the season for Lighthouse, a national independent, but Mid-Atlantic now awaits its fate in Monday’s USCAA National Championship Bid Show.

Lighthouse Advances to Title Game with 82-68 Win over Apprentice

MILTON, Fla. – Top-seed Lighthouse Christian downed 4th-seed Apprentice Saturday afternoon in the New South Athletic Conference semifinals 82-68.

The Builders jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first 5:30 of the contest, but the Makos answered by holding Apprentice to just three points over the next eight minutes to claw back into the game. The game went back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the first half with Lighthouse holding a narrow 33-32 lead at the break.

The game continued to flip back and forth through much of the second half, but a 9-0 run for the Makos just past the 10:00 mark of the second half put the game in the home team’s hands as they ultimately held on for the win.

Sam Benton, Jr. led the Makos with 22 points. Adrion Wall led Apprentice with 22 points, while Donovan Means notched a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Lighthouse advances to the NSAC Championship game for the second consecutive year. The Makos face Mid-Atlantic Christian Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 pm Central. The game will be streamed live on the JMU Mohawks Sports Network.

The Builders will now await their selection into the USCAA National Tournament to take place starting March 11 in Buffalo, New York. The bid show is set for Monday afternoon at 12:40 p.m. Eastern time on the USCAA Sports Network.

Thanks to Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics for this story.

Seeds Hold in Quarterfinals, Semis Set for Today

MILTON, Fla. – The top four seeds in the 2025 NSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament held serve on Friday, leading to what promises to be an exciting pair of games today.

In Friday’s first matchup, 3rd-seed John Melvin (FL) held off 6th-seeded Atlantis 67-64. The Atlanteans had the ball with under five seconds to play but could not connect on a shot to tie.

Second-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian kept upset-minded Beacon at bay 88-83.

Apprentice, the 4th seed, cruised to a 102-71 victory over SC Central Christian in the day’s third game. The Builders set a new program record for rebounds in a game, pulling down 74.

In the nightcap, top-seeded Lighthouse Christian struggled with upstart Southeast Christian, the 9th seed, for most of the first half before pulling away for a 93-66 win.

That sets up Saturday’s bracket as the Mustangs and Mohawks will meet at 2:00 pm Eastern/1:00 pm Central, followed by the Makos and Builders in a rematch of last year’s championship. That game is set to tip off at 4:00 pm Eastern/3:00 pm Central. The winners will advance to meet for the title Sunday at 3:00 pm Eastern/2:00 pm Central time.

All games are being streamed live at Channel One – JMU-Mohawks

Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team Recognized

The New South Athletic Conference is proud to honor the 2025 Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team, comprised off all players who are carrying a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale.

“At the small college level, more than any other college level, academic progress and excellence are still cornerstones of athletic success.” said NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “That’s why I take special interest in honoring these 53 young men who lead the way in a well-rounded college experience.”

The Apprentice School

  • Clifton Goode
  • Wayne Hedgepeth
  • Chris Hinmon
  • Montrell Jackson
  • Donovan Means

Atlantis University

  • Santiago Inssuarlde
  • Jose Rosario
  • Jatez Ward
  • Artem Sorokin
  • Samuel Jiménez

Beacon College

  • Jovan Bell
  • Jared Carter
  • Bryce Contreras
  • Ernesto Hichez
  • Michael Turner
  • Jordique Vincent
  • Cooper White

John Melvin Christian College (FL)

  • Elijah Berger
  • Dayne Bordelon
  • Arnez Bryant 
  • Tyler Camplin
  • Korey Catchings
  • Tyvin Garrison
  • Nick Gikas
  • Evan Griffin
  • Jaedon Sisk
  • Joshua Steen
  • Javier Valerezo

John Melvin University (LA)

  • Richard Casler
  • Tayshaun Columb
  • Kaimauri Hodges
  • Landen Istre
  • Kyle Roach
  • Nate Smith
  • Deonne Williams

Lighthouse Christian College

  • Michael Ribeiro
  • Akok Shan

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

  • Arius Alston
  • Stewart Clough
  • Elijah Dias
  • Jake Harper
  • Uriah Logan
  • Kaylon Sampson
  • Janus Shepherd
  • Janai Williams
  • Terrance Williams
  • Tyus Williams

South Carolina Central Christian College

  • Kevin Butler
  • Tavion McPherson
  • Henoch Mukendi
  • Cedric Shelby
  • Travis Stroud

Southeast Christian College

  • Calvin Harrigan
  • Lawrence Ruffins III
  • Jordan Stevenson
  • Jaden Victor
  • Marvin Windom

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Seedings, Bracket Set for 2025 Tournament

MILTON, Fl. – With the final conference games of the season in the books, the seedings have been finalized for the 2025 New South Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament beginning this Thursday outside of Pensacola, Florida.

Lighthouse enters the tournament as the top seed for the second consecutive season, this time sporting a perfect 13-0 conference record. The Makos are also the hosts for the event.

Action begins Thursday at 6:00 pm Central time when 8th-seed John Melvin (LA) faces Southeast Christian, the 9th seed. The winner of that game goes on the meet Lighthouse Friday at 7:00 pm Central.

The championship game will tip off Sunday at 2:00 pm Central.

All games will take place at the Lighthouse Gym, 8604 Bobby Brown Road, Milton, Florida, and will be streamed live on the JMU Mohawks Sports Network.

Lighthouse Overpowers JMCC to Clinch NSAC Top Seed

MILTON, Fl. – Lighthouse Christian got a combined 71 points from Eddie Brown and Wol Yak to down John Melvin (FL) 114-105 Thursday night and clinch the top seed in the NSAC men’s basketball tournament for the second consecutive year.

Yak led all scorers with 36 points, 25 of them coming in the second half. Brown followed with 35 points. Darion Ramos led the Mohawks with 27.

With the win, Lighthouse (23-2 overall, 12-0 NSAC) locks up the top spot for next week’s tournament, which it will host.

The loss drops JMCC (22-4, 10-2) to third, but several games between now and Monday will impact the standings between seeds 2-4.

JMCC and Lighthouse will meet again on Monday, February 24.

Image courtesy Lighthouse Athletics

Beacon Forfeits Four Games Due to Ineligible Player

The USCAA has informed Beacon College that it must forfeit four men’s basketball games, including wins over Lighthouse and John Melvin (LA), due to the use of an ineligible player.

The games included all three NSAC contests during the Leesburg Classic in January, plus a non-conference contest against Trinity College of Florida. Beacon had recorded wins in three of the four games.

“We affirm the importance of upholding the integrity of intercollegiate competition and appreciate the guidance of the USCAA in ensuring compliance with its regulations,” Beacon president Dr. George Hagerty stated in an email to the effected schools and the NSAC.

“We appreciate Beacon’s commitment to fairness and sportsmanship,” said NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “Their administration was forthcoming and open throughout the process, and that does not go unappreciated.”

The forfeits mean Beacon drops to 3-7 and 7th place in conference play. It also erases Lighthouse’s only conference loss, propelling the Makos atop the standings with a two-game series against second-place John Melvin (FL) taking place over the next five days to close out the regular season.

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

Brown, Colomb Lead All-Pensacola Classic Lineup

MILTON, Fl. – Lighthouse Christian’s Eddie Brown and Tayshaun Colomb of John Melvin (LA) led the voting for this past weekends’ Pensacola Classic and have been named as Co-MVPs for the event.

John Melvin (FL) served as host and Lighthouse provided the venue for the three-day, nine-game event which concluded Sunday evening.

  • Eddie Brown, Lighthouse, Co-MVP
  • Tayshaun Colomb, JMU (LA), Co-MVP
  • Jacquari “JJ” Johnson, JMCC (FL)
  • Darion Ramos, JMCC (FL)
  • Leonardo Rodriquez, UIC
  • Jose Rosario, Atlantis
  • Deonne Williams, Jr., JMU (LA)