FINAL: Susquehanna 90, Apprentice School 61

RECORDS: Susquehanna 9-0, Appentice School 5-5

LOCATION: Scandlon Gymnasium/Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

IN BRIEF: The Crusaders used a 13-0 run at the end of the first half to take control of the game and then kept the Builders scoreless for over four-and-a-half minutes to open up their lead. Susquehanna netted 15 3-pointers to pull away.

ON THE COURT

• The Crusaders started off the game with a 3-pointer by Steven Weidlich, but Christian Cooper followed soon after with a jumper. Brandon Hedley gave Susquehanna a 5-2 lead with his jumper at 18:24. After a couple missed attempts by both teams, Jay Melendez knotted things up with a 3-pointer at 17:51.
• The Crusaders scored five straight, but the Builders would answer with a 5-0 run of their own. Zach Johnson connected from deep-range and Melendez netted a layup at 15:05.
• After a Jalen Ruffin bucket at 12:16 tied things up again at 16-16, the Apprentice School took control of the game. A Michael Gainey free throw and a Cameron Perry jumper gave the team a 19-16 advantage. The lead would be brief, though, as Susquehanna used an 8-0 run courtesy of a pair of Weidlich 3-pointers to take back control 24-19 (8:14).
• Cooper's 3-pointer at 7:56 cut the lead to 24-22, but Weidlich netted his third-straight 3-pointer to start another Crusader 8-0 run. Hedley's 3-pointer at the 6:40 mark made it 32-22.
• The Builders were able to pull within 39-33 with another 3-pointer from Melendez (2:36), but Susquehanna used a 13-0 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers, to end the half. The Crusaders shot 11-of-20 (55%) from beyond the arc in the opening half and went into the locker room up 52-33.
• After an early Melendez layup, the Crusaders kept the Builders scoreless for over four and half minutes, scoring 14 unanswered.
• William Wilcox paced the Apprentice School in the second half 10 points. However, despite a pair of 3-pointers from Wilcox and another pair from Melendez, the Crusaders continued to push their lead. An Adam Dizbon tipin at the 5:03 mark gave Susquehanna its largest lead of the game, 88-54.
• Wilcox scored 6-straight points for the Builders, capping off his own run with his second 3-pointer of the game. A Zach Newby layup made pushed the Crusader lead back to 30 points (90-60, 3:08).
• Neither team could connect in the closing 3 minutes, with each missing multiple shots. A Ruffin free-throw at 1:11 would round out the scoring.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Three Builders scored in double figures: Melendez led the team with 16 points, Cooper followed with 13 points, and Wilcox added 12 points. Johnson led the team on the glass with 7 rebounds.
• The Apprentice School shot 28.2% (22-of-78) from the field, 26.8% (11-of-41) from beyond the arc, and 33.3% (6-of-18) from the free-throw line.
• Susquehanna led in all catergories, but the Appentice School came close in rebounding (50-53), 2nd chance points (15-16), and committed just as many turnovers (14-14).
• The team scored 26 points off the bench, but the Crusaders just edge them out with 27 bench points.
• The game featured three ties and four lead changes.

NEXT UP

The Builders have wrapped up play for December and will return to action January 10th as they travel to Concord, N.C. for a conference matchup against Barber-Scotia College. The Sabers fell to Florida College 89-72 on December 11th and will play Furman University (S.C.) this upcoming Wednesday, December 16th.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Builder news, scores, and updates.