FINAL SCORE: Apprentice School 74, Johnson Univ. (FL) 65

EVENT: Johnson University Holiday Classic

LOCATION: Chapman Center/Kissimmee, FL.

RECORDS: Apprentice School 8-4, Johnson University 3-7

ON THE COURT: Sophomore Jay Melendez set career highs in points and rebounds with his 30 point-17 rebound outing as the Apprentice School pulled away from a pesky Johnson University  for a 74-65 win on Saturday afternoon.

After a close first 10 minutes, the Builders went on a 13-2 run over 2:42 span to lead 24-12 on a Tony Walton putback with 6:16 left.  Apprentice School held a lead throughout the half and despite a half-court buzzer beater from Nicholas Marshall took a 37-30 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Melendez scored all 10 points in an early 10-2 run to put the Builders up 49-36 with 14:27 left on a 3-pointer.  The Suns worked their way back into the contest and took a 63-62 lead with 2:56 left on a pair of Adam Daniels free throws. 

Apprentice School took the lead back to stay on a 3-pointer from Lance Darden at the 2:50 mark and closed the game on a 12-2 run.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Johnnie Ferebee joined Melendez in double figures with a 16 point, four assist, four steal and four rebound performance.
• Melendez topped his previous career high of 27 points set Nov. 20 against Mid-Atlantic Christian.  His previous career-high in rebounds was 15 against Southern State on Nov. 9.
• For the second straight game, the Builders made a dent in the blocked shots category with nine swats on the day.  Melendez and Walton had four apiece, while Jaman Hoskie had one.

NEXT UP

The Builders close out their 2013 portion of the schedule on Thursday with a 6pm tip against NCAA Division II Elizabeth City State University at Apprentice Athletic Center.