Amp Williams led a balanced scoring attack for Central International as the Cardinals downed Southside Virginia Community College 84-76 in a non-conference contest on Saturday.
Williams, a freshman from Richmond, chalked 18 points while Ty Rias added 16 and Deshawn Ridley contributed 15.
CIC improved to 2-1 on the season while the Panthers fell to 2-3.
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.
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Story courtesy gobuilders.com
Mid-Atlantic Christian senior guard Talik Totten has been named at the New South Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
Totten helped Mid-Atlantic Christian win on Saturday against Christendom, providing 22 points with 12 of those points coming from the 3-point line. In the Mustangs’ game against Greensboro, Totten gave his team 31 points off of 12-17 from the floor and 6-9 from the 3-point line. Totten was named to the Roger Taylor All-Classic Team for his play in the three-day tournament.
Congratulations, Talik!
Carolina Christian picked up its third win of the season Sunday 104-97 at Greensboro Prep. The Centurions were led by junior Daishaun George’s 43 points and 16 rebounds.
“Everyone played well in the second half,” said CCC coach William Peay. “We were down 17 with 10 minutes left, but just kept fighting.”
Carolina Christian (3-6 overall, 0-2 NSAC) is next scheduled to host Blue Lights College on December 14 before entering the Christmas break.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Nationally 8th-ranked Mid-Atlantic Christian hoped to get two out of three for the weekend after its win on Saturday, but came up short to Greensboro College 97-80 in the Roger Taylor Invitational in Rocky Mount, N.C.
MACU (4-3 overall, 0-0 NSAC) controlled the first 10 minutes of the first half and kept the lead, until Greensboro junior Amillia Huggins would put the Pride ahead for the first time, 23-22, after hitting two free throws. However, the Mustangs did not back down and recaptured the lead on a jumper by sophomore Micah Colburn, then going up by four on free throws by Jeremiah Dickerson and Jajour Lambert. With 4:09 remaining in the half, the Pride’s Grant Thompson got out on the fast break and finished it with a dunk, tying the game again, 30-30. Isaiah Pruett gave Greensboro the lead again when he drained a three-pointer and they would not relinquish it, allowing the Pride to head into the locker room with a seven-point advantage, 42-35.
GC senior Kevon Wright got things started in the second half, with a layup in the paint and on the next possession he followed that up with a three-point basket and then a layup, giving Greensboro its first double digit lead, 49-35.
MACU senior Talik Totten led all scorers with 31 points off of 12-17 shooting from the floor and 6-9 from the 3-point line. Totten was named to the Roger Taylor All-Classic Team for his play in the three-day tournament.
The Mustangs dropped a 79-52 decision to host NC Wesleyan on Friday before notching a home win over Christendom 64-49 on Saturday.
Story courtesy greensborocollegesports.com
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.
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NEXT UP
The Builders will hit the road down to Virginia Wesleyan Monday.
Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian fell short in its bid to finally knock off an eastern North Carolina on Friday night, but took a bounce back win at home on Saturday.
USCAA 8th-ranked MACU suffered through a bad shooting performance (30%) at NC Wesleyan 79-52 to begin a three-game weekend. “As a team, we did not shoot well at all from the floor, free throws or from the threes,” Mustangs coach Charles Sims said after the loss. “Too many costly turnovers, forced and unforced, was also a contributing factor. We had moments defensively where we could not get stops, and until we get better defensively as a team against these Division 3 opponents, we will have problems.”
But the Mustangs found their touch in the first half on Saturday afternoon, shooting 48.6% for the half and 42.4% for the game while holding visiting Christendom College to 31% for the game, in a 64-49 win.
“It was a good bounce-back win today,” Sims said. “Christendom never stopped coming at us. Our defense stepped up with a better performance and our shooting percentage improved from Friday night.”
Talik Totten led MACU (4-2 overall, 0-0 NSAC) with 22 points.
The Mustangs wrap up their 3-game weekend on Sunday taking on Greensboro College in the Roger Taylor Invitational at NC Wesleyan in Rocky Mount.
Image courtesy USCAA Sports Network
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.
Congratulations to Apprentice and Mid-Atlantic Christian, who placed both of their men’s and women’s basketball teams in the first USCAA Coaches Polls of the season.
The Builders placed seventh on the men’s side and ninth for the women, while the Mustangs come in at eighth and tenth, respectively.
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
