VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Apprentice School men's basketball team took Virginia Wesleyan down to the wire, but the final shot would not fall as the Marlins survived, 55-54, Monday night at TowneBank Arena.
The Builders opened the game scoring the first five points and led 7-2 before VWU battled back, taking their first lead at the 10:26 mark of the first half, 14-12. After Chris Himmon retook the lead with a three pointer, the Marlins answered with a three of their own to retie the game at 17-17.
The Marlins went on an 8-0 run after that three pointer that was broken by a Karree Smith layup to cut the lead down to 25-21. Caleb Mielewski hit a pair of free throws later in the half that capped a 7-2 run for the Builders that gave Apprentice a 28-27 lead. The first half ended tied up at 31-31.
After both teams traded buckets in the early part of the second half, Mielewski hit a free throw that tied the game up at 47-47 with 10:40 to play. Neither team saw any separation in the final quarter of the game as the Marlins pushed ahead by a basket with 1:42 to play.
Smith hit 1-of-2 free throws with 1:19 left to cut the lead to one. After Virginia Wesleyan missed the front end of the 1-and-1, Apprentice couldn't find a basket but would get one more chance after holding on defense with 22.5 seconds left. The shot went up but drew only iron as the Marlins squeaked out the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Smith finished with a game-high 19 points, while Jayden Eason added 12.
- Virginia Wesleyan made 7-of-24 shots from outside the arc.
- Shawn Eley was one point away from a double-double, scoring nine points with his 12 rebounds.
- Apprentice was +9 on the glass, but -7 in the turnover column.
NEXT UP
A quick turnaround for the Builders awaits as New South Athletic Conference play resumes tomorrow at Blue Lights. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
