Builders Survive Upset Attempt by CCC, 81-78

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Carolina Christian led twice in the final three minutes but could not close the deal as Apprentice survived the upset-minded Centurions 81-78 Saturday afternoon.

The Builders took their largest lead of the game on a Jayden Eason layup at 54-44 with 12:48 to play in the second half, but the Centurions would not fold and started to chip away at the lead. Daishaun George gave CCC a 74-73 lead off a layup with 3:08 remaining, but a Caleb Mielewski shot returned the favor for Apprentice just 12 seconds later. Two free throws by the Centurions’ Antonio Baldwin gave them a 76-75 advantage at the 1:57 mark, but another Eason bucket flipped the lead again 11 seconds later.

The teams traded buckets once again before Shawn Eley put an exclamation point on the game with a Builder dunk at :17. A George 3-point attempt missed with 2 seconds to play for the final score.

Adrion Wall came of the bench with 19 points for Apprentice, and Eley recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Reserve Eli Faybain led the Centurions with 19.

Apprentice remains undefeated in conference play at 9-0 and 14-7 overall. Carolina Christian moves to 0-5 and 3-12.

Image courtesy gobuilders.com

MACU Blunts BLC Comeback, 87-81

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – It appeared Mid-Atlantic Christian had its game against Blue Lights College well in hand, leading by 16 late in the contest, but had to hang on to survive a Thoroughbreds push and win at home, 87-81 on Saturday afternoon.

With MACU holding an 81-65 lead with under five minutes in regulation, BLC launched a comeback attempt, scoring 16 of the game’s final 22 points, only to fall short.

“We played well,” said Mustangs head coach Charles Sims. “The plan today was just to have fun playing. As a team we needed this. With all the ups and downs of the season and the in-house situations that come with every team, this was an important victory.”

“We had self-inflicted wounds against a good team,” Thoroughbreds coach Nolan Adams explained. “We can’t survive that.”

Talik Totten led four Mustangs in double figures with 23 points. Two Thoroughbreds recorded double-doubles: Sam Benton, Jr. scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Keyshawn Bryant had 20 and 14, respectively.

The win keeps MACU a step behind Apprentice in the NSAC standings at 5-1 and 10-8 overall. Blue Lights remains tied for third with Virginia Peninsula at 1-3 and 7-5.

Apprentice Finishes Regular Season Sweep of VPCC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team needed free throws down the stretch to take down Virginia Peninsula Community College Wednesday night in a 61-55 thriller.

The two teams voted atop the New South Athletic Conference preseason poll showed why they were picked there in a back-and-forth affair. After the Builders took a five point lead into intermission, they stormed away early in the second half to lead by as many as 15 before the Gators clawed back into the game, trimming the lead to as few as two with under 30 seconds to go. Apprentice hit four straight free throws in the waning moments to clinch the win.

Shawn Eley led the Builders in scoring with 13 points, while Karree Smith added 11. Caleb Mielewski put up 10 off the bench. Eley finished with a double-double, securing 12 rebounds on the night.

Apprentice improves to 8-0 at the top of the NSAC standings and 13-6 overall, while VPCC drops to 1-3 and 8-6, respectively.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

MACU Toughs Out Win at Christendom, 80-69

FRONT ROYAL, Va. – Freshman forward Jalen Jones chalked 17 points to lead Mid-Atlantic Christian to 80-69 NSAC win at Christendom Saturday afternoon.

“It was the kind of game we expected with Christendom,” said MACU coach Charles Sims. “Our games have always been competitive and tight.”

The Mustangs led by three at halftime, 37-34, and were able to turn up the defensive intensity in the second half.

“Christendom never backs down, and they are disciplined, so we knew what to expect,” said Sims. “It was good to get this win on the road.”

The Crusaders were coming off another tight New South game just the night before, a 70-63 home loss to Apprentice.

MACU improved to 4-1 in league play and 9-7 overall, while the Crusaders moved to 0-3 and 5-8, respectively.

Mustangs Hang on for 80-70 Win at Regent

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Mid-Atlantic Christian survived a strong effort from Regent to pull out an 80-70 non-conference men’s basketball win Tuesday night.

The Mustangs fell behind by as many as 9 points in the first half, 25-16, before adjusting and taking 36-33 advantage into the break. But the Royals weren’t done either.

“At the start of the second half, we faced another bombardment from Regent and found ourselves down by 5,” said MACU coach Charles Sims. “Making our adjustments, we methodically got our rhythm and regained the lead and we never looked back.”

The Mustangs led by as many as 22 with 8:49 remaining in the game before settling for the final margin. They were led by Talik Totten’s 19 points and Jeremiah Dickerson’s 16. Regent’s Stanley Adjai had a double-double, 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Image courtesy regentroyals.com

Eley Named Player of the Week

Shawn Eley of Apprentice had a big week in leading the Builders to two conference wins.

The 6′ 4″ senior posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in a win against MACU and had 19 points and 7 rebounds in a win against VPCC.

Honorable mention: Keyshawn Bryant, BLC

CIC Suspends Rest of Season

Central International College men’s basketball coach Wayne Johnson says, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Cardinals have had to suspend the rest of their 2022-23 season.

CIC’s last game was a 86-48 home loss to Apprentice on January 7. They finish their season at 2-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

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

Mustangs Hold Off Centurions, 84-72

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half today to hold off Carolina Christian 84-72 in New South men’s basketball.

The Mustangs (7-7 overall, 3-1 NSAC) led by 15 at the half, 42-27, but the Centurions kept is close with their fast-break in the second half. MACU used a balanced attack and got all players in the scoring column, led by Talik Totten’s 22 points.

“This was definitely a full team effort,” said MACU coach Charles Sims. “It was a times challenging due to the uptempo game play of Carolina Christian and that took us out of our style of playing. But we managed to overcome and get our rhythm to secure the victory.”

CCC (3-10 overall, 0-4 NSAC) leaned heavily on its star forward, junior Daishawn George, who recorded a double-double with 31 points and 13 boards.

Herd Wins Fourth Consecutive, 123-82

APEX, N.C. – Blue Lights College conducted a thunderstorm of offense and put away Shooting IV Greatness Prep 123-82 Tuesday night.

The Thoroughbreds were led by Keyshawn Bryant’s 35 points, Wol Yak added 28. S4G’s Justin Price led all scorers with 38.

It was the fourth straight win for BLC, which improved to 5-3 overall (1-2 NSAC).