Category: SC Central Christian

Atlantis, Beacon Survive and Advance

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Atlantis University pulled away in the second half to beat South Carolina Central 74-58 Friday afternoon in the first quarterfinal game of the 2026 NSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Artem Sorokin scored 21 points and knocked down five 3-pointers to lead Atlantis, which outscored South Carolina Central 43-29 after halftime. Ornie Brooks added 15 points and five assists, while Folayemi Salako posted 12 points and 13 rebounds. The 3rd-seeded Atlanteans shot 46.4% in the second half and went 9 of 20 from beyond the arc for the game.

Nazir Sample led 7th-seed S4C with 15 points, while Tyrek Dawson and David Lias each scored 11. The Gladiators struggled at the foul line, hitting just 3 of 11 free throws.

In the second game of the afternoon, 4th-seed Beacon College came from 22 points down to beat 5th-seed Lighthouse in overtime, 97-93.

Ernesto Hichez finished with 32 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Blazers, which erased a 13-point halftime deficit. Tony Wade added 23 points, knocking down five 3-pointers, and Noah Wilhelm scored 17, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:09 left in overtime, as Beacon shot 52.5% in the second half and 44.4% from beyond the arc for the game.

Lighthouse led 48-35 at the break and had four players score in double figures, led by Eddie Brown’s 26 points and 12 rebounds. JB Wiltz added 25 points, while Brent Royal Jr. chipped in 12. Marcus White grabbed 15 rebounds for the visitors.

URBE and Beacon face off for the third time this season in the tournament semifinals Saturday at 7:30 pm.

S4C Knocks Off MACU for Third Straight NSAC Win

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. – Tyrek Dawson poured in 19 points to lead a balanced South Carolina Central Christian floor attack to a 93-75 victory over Mid-Atlantic Christian Friday night.

The Gladiators went on a 30-11 run over the final 11:31 to close out the win.

Davarious Johnson and Nazir Sample each added 18 and Dewayne Halliburton added 17 off the bench.

It was the third New South Athletic Conference win in a row for SC Central (4-11 overall, 3-3 NSAC) after the Gladiators dropped their first three of the season.

The Mustangs (7-12, 3-2) were led by Stewart Clough and Keondre Rodgers with 15 apiece. It was MACU’s second conference loss in a row after starting the season with three wins.

Graphic courtesy MACU Athletics

Concord Classic to Pit NSAC Rivals This Weekend

CONCORD, N.C. – The highlight of the 2026 NSAC men’s basketball regular season happens this weekend as Barber-Scotia College hosts the Concord Classic.

“Weather forced the cancellation of last weekend’s Pensacola Classic, but neither rain nor snow nor dark of night will stop us this weekend,” joked NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “But seriously, we’ll be keeping an eye on the forecast, but the teams are all here and ready to tip off.”

With several upsets already in the books this season, this weekend is being highly anticipated.

All games will take place at Newsom Gym on the campus of Barber-Scotia at 145 Cabarrus Avenue W, Concord, North Carolina. Tickets are available at the door, and you can watch the live stream here.

Friday (Day 1) January 30

2:00 PM — SC Central 75, Atlantis 72

4:00 PM —Apprentice 74, Southeast Christian 42

6:00 PM — Beacon 96, Barber-Scotia 80

8:00 PM — MACU 77, Millennia 50

Saturday (Day 2) January 31

12:00 AM — Beacon vs SC Central

2:00 PM — Apprentice vs Atlantis

4:00 PM — Barber-Scotia vs Millennia

6:00 PM — Southeast Christian vs MACU

Sunday (Day 3) February 1

10:00 AM — Millennia vs Apprentice

12:00 PM — MACU vs Beacon

2:00 PM — SC Central vs Southeast Christian

4:00 PM — Atlantis vs Barber-Scotia

SC Central Shocks Apprentice 89-80

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — South Carolina Central Christian pulled off an 89-80 upset over The Apprentice School Saturday night in the MLK Classic.

The Gladiators (2-10 overall, 1-3 NSAC) used an efficient offense and balanced scoring to earn the win against the Builders (10-6, 2-1). Nazir Sample scored 14 points and dished out nine assists, while Davarious Johnson added 13 points to pace the visitors. David Lias contributed 13 and McCoy Bell chipped in 12 as S4C shot 50.8 % from the field, including 40.9 % from 3-point range.

Apprentice was led by Jahlil Hope’s 30 points and Wayne Hedgepeth’s 16, but struggled to find consistent perimeter scoring, finishing 2-for-13 from deep. Ahmiir Colpetro added 10 points for the Builders.

South Carolina Central Christian built a first-half lead and held off multiple Apprentice rallies to secure the NSAC road victory.

Image courtesy SC Central Christian Athletics

Barber-Scotia Slips Past SC Central 100-94

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Nick Gravely scored 20 points to lead Barber-Scotia to a 100-94 win over SC Central Christian Tuesday night.

It was the first conference win for Barber-Scotia (5-4 overall, 1-1 NSAC).

Freshman Londen Roseman added 16, while Treveon Davis added 13 and Jalen Mattocks added 12 in their debut for the Sabers.

SC Central (1-9, 0-3) was led by Nazir Sample with 18 points.

Image courtesy Barber-Scotia Athletics

Johnson’s Double-Double Leads S4C to First Win

DUE WEST, S.C. – SC Central Christian got a double-double performance from Davarius Johnson and held off Erskine 75-71 for its first men’s basketball win Wednesday evening.

The Fleet led 39-33 at halftime before the Gladiators outscored Erskine 42-32 in the second half to pull away late. S4C shot 43.9% from the field and went 15 of 24 at the free-throw line.

Johnson led Central with 17 points, knocking down three 3-pointers, and hauled in 12 rebounds while Jaden Smith added 14 points. Thomas Miles chipped in 13. The Gladiators scored 20 points off the bench.

Erskine was led by Ruben Salazar, who scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

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.

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