NEWPORT NEWS, VA. – The Apprentice School men's basketball team concluded a 3-0 weekend in the 2013 Martin Luther King Classic by defeating Virginia University of Lynchburg 96-85 in overtime on Sunday.
A pair of Lavontae Thomas free throws with 6:57 left in the half started the Builders on a 14-2 run over the next 4:39 to lead 40-26 on a Jay Melendez 3-pointer with 2:18 left. VUL got the deficit to 10 on a Dennis Gravely baseline jumper with 22 seconds left, but Thomas snuck in a layup with five seconds left to give the Builders a 44-32 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Builders pushed the lead to 15 points on a 3-pointer from Thomas with 17:59 left for a 49-34 advantage. The Dragons didn't go away and methodically worked back into the contest cutting the deficit to 71-64 on a pair of Christopher Calvan free throws with 6:39 left.
Following a Terrence Palmer 3-pointer 20 seconds later for the Builders, VUL stormed back and cut the lead to 78-77 on a pair of Dimitry Zimin free throws with 1:14 remaining. A free throw from Johnnie Ferebee gave the Builders a 79-77 lead with 51 seconds left, but Dennis Gravely's layup with 27 seconds tied the game at 79-all.
In the extra session, a Calvan jumper with 4:46 left gave the Dragons an early 81-79 lead. Apprentice School roared back and scored the next 10 points as Palmer hit a pair of free throws with 1:39 remaining to give the hosts an 89-81 lead and were never headed.
Ferebee topped the Builders in scoring with 21 points and seven rebounds to lead five in double figures. Darrell Fenton added 17 points and seven rebounds, Palmer had 16 and a team-high nine rebounds, Thomas chipped in with 13 while Tevin Andrews had 12 points and eight boards.
VUL was headed by Gravely with 26 points and eight rebounds, Egor Shakhmetov with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Calvan added 15 points while Zimin had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Apprentice School now goes on the road for a key in-state U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association game at Southern Virginia University on Saturday at 2 pm.