Three Double-Doubles Pace Apprentice Past Trinity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Apprentice School women’s basketball team had three players record double-doubles in a 56-37 win over Trinity Thursday night.

The Builders, ranked 4th in the latest USCAA women’s basketball poll, jumped out to a 19-2 lead in the first eight minutes of the game and never looked back. Apprentice stretched its lead to as many as 26 points late before the Tigers clawed back to make it a 19-point game.

Jada Eleby led all scorers with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Ashawnti Williams had 11 points and 15 boards, while Jada Bryant was two assists shy of a triple-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Nyla Jackson added 12 points to finish in double figures as well.

The Builders will turn around tomorrow for a rematch with Virginia Union on the road. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

Story and image courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com

Three NSAC Teams Receive National Rankings

The first basketball polls of the year are out in the USCAA, and the New South Conference is well represented as the Apprentice men’s and women’s teams as well as the Atlantis men are in the top 5 of their respective polls.

The Apprentice women crack the season-opening rankings at number four. The Lady Builders fell to eventual champion D’Youville in the national semifinals last year 75-48. Maine-Fort Kent is number one, followed by Bryant & Stratton Syracuse, Bryant & Stratton Buffalo, Apprentice, and Paul Quinn College.

The Apprentice men have garnered the number 2 national ranking, trailing only Bryant & Stratton Syracuse. Head coach Evan Kee is pleased with the recognition and says he’s looking forward to returning to Petersburg, Virginia, the site of the USCAA Small College Championships.

“We are thrilled that our strong start to the season has led to an early season #2 ranking,” said Kee. “We’ve played a challenging opening schedule and we are happy to have come out with some convincing wins. We understand that the only poll that truly matters is the final one, which will be the crowned national champion. We hope to be in position to finish the season number one in the country and to cut down nets at Virginia State University.”

The Builders are picking up where they left off last season when they went undefeated in conference play, won the NSAC tournament title, and advanced to the USCAA semifinals before falling to Bryant & Stratton Buffalo 77-75.

Atlantis comes into the poll ranked number 4. The new NSAC member also appeared in the national tournament last season in its first year of eligibility, but fell victim to B&S Buffalo in the opening round 73-64.

B&S Buffalo is at number three. Salem University, last year’s national champion, rounds out the top 5.

Ray Records Triple-Double in Apprentice Win

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – For the first time in program history, a triple-double was recorded for the Apprentice School women’s basketball team as Amaya Ray tallied 12 points, 12 rebounds and 11 steals in a 70-60 win over Regent Tuesday night.

The Builders jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, holding the Royals without a point for the first four minutes of the game. Regent fought back to trim the lead to as few as two early in the second quarter, but Apprentice responded with a quick 6-0 spurt to push the lead back out.

In the second half, the Builders got out to a 23-point lead, but the Royals never quit, constantly putting pressure on the Builder defense. Regent got the lead all the way down to the final 10-point deficit by scoring the final eight points of the game.

Jada Bryant led the Builders in scoring with 18 points, while Ray finished with the triple-double, adding six assists to her stat line as well. Nyla Jackson had 10 points, and Ashawnti Williams added a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards.

Apprentice pulled down 49 rebounds and turned the Royals over 31 times.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Earns No. 6 Seed in USCAA National Tournament

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – After finishing the regular season with a 14-7 record, the Apprentice School women’s basketball team earned the No. 6 seed in the upcoming USCAA National Championship to be contested in Richmond, Virginia, March 12-16, the national office announced Sunday afternoon.

The Builders will take on third-seed D’Youville Monday, March 13, at 8 p.m. at Richard Bland College. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) earned the top seed with Bluefield State was named No. 2. Salem was the No. 4 seed and will take on fifth-seeded Bryant & Stratton (Albany). Bryant & Stratton (Syracuse) claimed the seventh seed, while Carlow was the last team in at No. 8.

This is the first tournament berth for Apprentice since the 2017-18 season.

Tickets for the tournament may be purchased here.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Crusaders Heading to USCAA DII Dance

Christendom Women’s Basketball: National Championship Tournament-bound. The team, coming off one of the best seasons in program history, earned their first trip to the USCAA DII National Championship Tournament, as announced by the organization on Sunday, March 5. They will travel to Virginia State University for the tournament on March 12, aiming for a shot at the National Championship game on March 16.

The women’s basketball team went an incredible 19-5 during their regular season, which included an 8-game winning streak stretching from December to early February. Sophomore phenom Catherine Thomas gave a stunning sequel to her impressive inaugural season last year, leading the USCAA in points scored and coming in second in points per game and rebounds per game. Her performance earned her conference MVP honors along with numerous Player of the Week honors, with Miranda Keller also earning Player of the Week honors as well with her similarly impressive run this season. Head Coach Mary Minick also earned Coach of the Year honors for her leadership of the team over the course of the 2022-23 season.

The team will arrive in Petersburg, Virginia, following Mass on Sunday, March 12, to begin preparing for their first National Championship run. Games will begin on the morning of Monday, March 13, with games played each day leading up to the National Championship game on Thursday, March 16. Christendom will face Penn State Beaver in the first round on Monday, March 13 at 10:00 am.

The team is currently looking to raise $4,000 for the tournament. To support the team’s National Championship run, visit here.

For more information, visit christendomathletics.com.

Story and image courtesy Christendom College Athletics

Centurions Hold Off Crusader Rally for NSAC Title

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Carolina Christian build an 12-point advantage over Christendom midway through the 4th quarter, then battled to hold off the Crusaders’ rally to claim the inaugural NSAC women’s basketball championship 70-67 on Sunday afternoon.

The Centurions frustrated Christendom’s offensive flow throughout the game with full-court pressure defense, scoring 24 points off 27 Crusader turnovers. Christendom clawed back to within 1, 68-67, on a Catherine Thomas jumper and subsequent free throw, with 46.8 seconds to play, but could get no closer. CCC’s Imari Hightower sank two free throws with 40.1 seconds left in regulation to stretch the lead back to 3. Two three-point attempts by the Crusaders in the final minute fell short to preserve the victory for the Centurions.

Hightower led all scorers with 33 points. Thomas led CC with 29 points and 23 boards, while Miranda Keller chalked 19 and 12, respectively.

Image courtesy Ike Washington/Apprentice Athletics

Crusaders Pull Away from Builders, 67-44

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Third seed Christendom knocked off 2nd seed Apprentice 67-44 in the New South Athletic Conference semifinals Saturday afternoon to advance into Sunday’s league title game.

The Builders (14-7) never got going offensively, shooting less than 22 percent from the floor on the game and hitting on just one of 17 tries from distance. Christendom (18-4) used a 7-0 push early in the second quarter to seize control of the game.

The Crusaders hit basket after basket and, despite a push in the third period, pulled away from Apprentice to hand the Builders their only loss on their home floor this season.

Catherine Thomas, the league MVP, had a game-high 21 points, while Kate Walz put up 19, making five threes along the way. Ashawnti Williams and Kerrigan Small each had 11 to lead the Builders in the scoring column.

Christendom now faces off with Carolina Christian (7-4) at 2:00 pm Sunday for the inaugural New South women’s basketball championship.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com

Tickets for NSAC Tournament On Sale Now

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School is hosting the New South Athletic Conference basketball tournament this upcoming weekend, and tickets are now on sale for the event.

Tickets for each day will be $7 each and can be purchased at GoBuilders.com/ticketing. As this is the conference tournament, all spectators will be required to pay as no pass lists are being allowed for the event.

The Apprentice women’s basketball team will open the tournament Saturday at 2 p.m. against Christendom. Prior to the contest, the program will have its Senior Day festivities. The Builders men’s team will play host to Blue Lights in the 4 p.m. semifinal Saturday afternoon. At 6 p.m., the Mid-Atlantic Christian University men will face the Virginia Peninsula/Christendom winner.

The semifinal round of action will be carried live on the BuilderStream YouTube page, while the championship games on Sunday will be carried by BigSportsTV

Crusaders’ Minick Named Coach of the Year

Christendom College head coach Mary Minick has been named the inaugural New South Conference Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Now in her fifth season in Front Royal, Minick has guided the Crusaders to a 16-4 overall record and a top-ten ranking in USCAA Division 2. As a team, Christendom is 2nd in the nation in rebounding, 2nd in field goal defense, 3rd in blocks, 4th in offensive efficiency, and 4th in free throw percentage.

She is also the coach of the 2023 NSAC MVP Catherine Thomas, who is second in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, and Miranda Keller, voted 2nd Team All-Conference.

Congratulations to Mary Minick, the 2023 NSAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year!

Image courtesy Christendom College Athletics

Thomas Named MVP, Heads All-NSAC Squad

Christendom College sophomore forward Catherine Thomas has been named the consensus Most Valuable Player for the inaugural New South All-Conference Women’s Basketball Team.

Thomas has averaged 27.7 points and 14.8 rebounds in all games this season, ranking 2nd in both categories in USCAA Division 2. She has recorded a double-double in every game this season including 2 triple-doubles.

Congratulations to Catherine and all the student-athletes on the 2023 All-Conference Team!

All-NSAC First Team:

  • Catherine Thomas, sophomore, Christendom College (MVP)
  • Imari Hightower, junior, Carolina Christian College
  • Jada Bryant, freshman, The Apprentice School
  • Miranda Keller, sophomore, Christendom College
  • Chantura Kirkland, junior, Carolina Christian College

All-NSAC Second Team:

  • Amaya Ray, freshman, The Apprentice School
  • Kate Walz, senior, Christendom College
  • Kayla Kent, senior, Mid-Atlantic Christian University
  • Moninque Houzer, junior, Carolina Christian College
  • Judea Edmonds, Senior, Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Honorable Mention:

  • Nyla Jackson, sophomore, The Apprentice School
  • Ashawnti Williams, sophomore, The Apprentice School
  • Shykeira Brown, junior, Carolina Christian College
  • Regina Bonvissuto, sophomore, Christendom College
  • Carrington Townes, junior, Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Image courtesy Christendom College Athletics