FINAL SCORE: Apprentice School 84, King's College 77

RECORDS: Apprentice School 5-4, King's College 6-4

LOCATION: Scandlon Gymnasium/Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

IN BRIEF: The Builders use a 10-0 run to force overtime and outscore the host Monarchs 13-6 to get the win.

ON THE COURT

• Shaun Innis got things going for the Builders with a pair of early jumpers. The Monarchs then made three free-throws before a Zach Johnson 3-pointer at the 17:45 mark. King's College continued to answer, however, and would pull to within 9-8 on a Chris Fazzini layup.
• A 7-0 run by the Builders helped create some separation. Michael Gainey and Jay Melendez each made layups and Melendez then followed with a 3-pointer to make it 16-8 with 13:48 on the clock.
• King's College fought back, though. As Johnson hit another 3-pointer, the Monarchs responded with one of their own to kickstart a 7-0 run and pull to within 25-24. After a Gainey bucket, the Monarchs made another 3-pointer to tie things up with 5:12 remaining in the opening half.
• King's College took control of the game 32-27 with a pair of free-throws and a 3-pointer. The Monarchs would then pull ahead 36-32, but 3-pointers from Johnson and Melendez helped tie the game again, this time at 38-38 (1:20).
• Connor Hughes missed a 3-pointer for the Monarchs, but would get his own rebound and make a layup. The Builders then had a couple looks at deep balls that couldn't connect. With :01 on the clock, the Apprentice School sent Jake Barber to the line. Barber would make both free-throws and King's College went into the locker room in control 42-38.
• King's College continued to push its lead early in the second half with a 9-0 run. John Dini started with a 3-pointer, Hughes added a pair of layups, and Barber scored a jumper.
• The Monarchs stayed in control for most of the second half, pushing its lead to 10 points multiple times. But with 2:34 to play and down 71-61, the Builders came storming back. Cameron Perry started off the 10-0 run with a jumper. After a missed 3-point attempt by the Monarchs, Melendez made a 3-pointer at 1:41 to make it 71-66. With :31 left in the game, Melendez made an old-fashioned 3-point play with a layup and successful follow-up free-throw.
• With :29 to play, the Builders forced a Monarchs turnover. Melendez missed a layup with :17 on the clock, but the Apprentice School got the rebound and called a time out. Melendez then redeemed himself with a lauyp at :07 to tie the game at 71-71. The Monarchs missed a 3-pointer and the game went into overtime.
• A Melendez 3-pointer put the Builders back on top, but a Fazzini layup kept the Monarchs close. The Apprentice School then used a 7-0 run to pull ahead 81-73 as Johnson and Perry hit humpers and Melendez scored a layup and made a free-throw.
• With less than a minute to play in overtime, both teams began to foul. The Monarchs made a pair of free shots to trim the Builder lead to 81-75. After Perry made 3 charity shots, King's College only had :17 to try and answer. Hughes made a layup at :08, but that would wrap up the scoring and the Builders would knock the hosts out of their own Classic.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• Melendez recorded a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double to pace the Builders in the win. Johnson netted 17 points while Perry added 15 points. Gainey was jusy shy of a double-double with 10 boards and 7 points.
• The Apprentice School shot 38.8% (31-of-80) from the field, 25.8% (8-of-31) from beyond the arc, and 77.8% (14-of-18) from the charity stripe.
• The team led in assists (19-13), fastbreak points (16-7), and committed fewer turnovers (18-20).
• The Builders bench contributed 31 points, compared to 22 bench points for the Monarchs.
• The game featured three ties and only one lead change.

NEXT UP

The Builders advance to the King's College Classic Championship game, where they will square off against the Susquehanna University (Pa.) Crusaders on Saturday, December 12th for a 3 p.m. tip off. The Crusaders defeated Trinity College (Conn.) 79-74 in the opening round of the Classic and enter Saturday's matchup a perfect 8-0.

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