NEWPORT NEWS - The Apprentice School men's basketball team completed the quest for the New South Athletic Conference crown with a 64-52 win over rival Virginia Peninsula Community College Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Builders improve to 20-7 as they await official word of their next steps for the season. Currently, Apprentice is ranked No. 3 in the latest USCAA National Coaches' Poll for Division I.

The Builders led wire-to-wire, pulling out to a 6-0 lead in a low scoring first half. Apprentice led 26-19 at the break before finally putting some distance between themselves and the Gators midway through the second half, allowing for the celebration to begin late in the contest for the conference tournament championship.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Tony Epps, Jr. had a career-high 20 points, hitting 3-of-4 three pointers on the night. CJ Highsmith had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Adrion Wall also added 12 points.
• The Builders' 20 wins is the most in a season since winning 23 back in the 2001-02 season. That season ended in a national championship, the first for the men's basketball program at the USCAA level.
• Apprentice outscored VPCC in the paint, 32-14.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

13-0. The Builders were 13-0 against NSAC opponents this season, including an 11-0 regular season and three wins over VPCC.

NEXT UP

The Builders will await the bids for the USCAA Tournament to be announced. As there are no automatic qualifiers in USCAA Division I, there will be eight teams announced as the tournament field on the live bid announcement show March 5.