FINAL SCORE: Apprentice School 81, Southern Virginia 73

RECORDS: Apprentice School 2-3, Southern Virginia 1-4

LOCATION: Apprentice School Athletic Facility/Newport News, Va.

IN BRIEF: Zach Johnson netted a team-high 25 points, Jay Melendez recorded a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Cameron Perry added 17 points to pace the Apprentice School in its win over Southern Virginia on Saturday.

ON THE COURT

• Neither team could find separation early. Tied 21-21, Christian Cooper hit a 3-pointer at the 5:14 mark to give the Builders the lead, but Southern Virginia would answer with a 3-pointer of its own a minute later.
• A Perry 3-pointer highlighted an 8-2 run for the Apprentice School, which found itself in control 32-26 with 2:41 remaining in the opening half. The Knights would answer with an 8-2 run of their own to tie things up at 34-34, but Perry hit another 3-pointer at 0:55 and the Builders would head into the locker room with the 37-34 lead.
• Southern Virginia would not go away in the second half, though, and an Aarun Rumbaugh tip-in put the Knights up 47-46 with 15:41 on the clock. The Builders would wrestle back the lead as a Perry jump shot and a pair of Johnson baskets made it 52-51 with 13:07 to play.
• Anders Jacobson drained a 3-pointer at the 9:46 to give Southern Virginia the lead again, 60-59. It would be the last lead for the Knights, however, as Shaun Innis made a basket 11 seconds later. Melendez then netted a 3-pointer to help create some separation.
• Effective shooting at the charity stripe helped the Apprentice School hold off a Knights comeback late. Southern Virginia pulled to within four as a Rumbaugh tip-in made it 77-73 with :29 remaining. The Knights were then forced to send Perry to the line and the senior guard from Hampton, Va. would make both of his attempts. A missed 3-pointer at :12 forced the Knights to send another Builder to the free-throw line, and Melendez would make both of his free shots as well. With only :04 left, Jalen Warren earned a steal and ran out the clock for the victory.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• The Builders shot 39% (30-of-77) from the field, 31.3% (5-of-16) from beyond the arc, and 69.6% (16-of-23) from the free-throw line.
• Johnson led the team with 25 points and Melendez recorded a 21-point, 12 rebound double-double. Perry also scored in double digits with a 17-point outing.
• The Apprentice School outrebounded their opponents 42-35 and also led in assists (19-18), 2nd-chance points (18-8), and bench points (15-0).
• The game featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes.

NEXT UP

The Builders return to action Wednesday, December 2nd, as they host the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons for a 7 p.m. meeting.