The Berkeley College men's basketball team has played some good basketball in recent games, registering a 3-2 record in their past five contests to push their overall mark to 4-6 in the 2024-2025 campaign. Back on Saturday, November 30, the Knights defeating Villa Maria in an NACIA contest by a score of 79-67 at the Villa Athletic Center. A day later, Berkeley suffered a 108-104 NACIA defeat to Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) in overtime at the Burt Flickinger Center. This past Tuesday, Berkeley defeated Washington Adventist at Achievement First High School by a score of 92-82. And finally, just this past weekend, the Knights split a pair of games in Maine, falling to CMCC (12/6) 84-81, before turning around and downing SMCC (12-7) 78-71.
Saturday, November 30: Berkeley College 79, Villa Maria 67
In the Knights' NACIA win over the Vikings, Ike Sheppard scored a game-high 21 points (10-17 FG) while leading all Berkeley College players with 12 rebounds (five offensive) He also swatted a game-high three shots, dished three assists, and swiped three steals. Karif Isaacs (4-7 FG) added 13 points, three assists, and a pair of rebounds, and Julio Wallace scored 12 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished two assists, and swiped a pair of steals.
Four players scored in double figures for the Vikings despite their loss, including Juston Johnson, as he netted a team-best 17 points while collecting six rebounds. Santi Manero posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Damario James finalized his afternoon with 13 points. Finally, it was Nolan Shephard scoring 10 points, snatching 12 rebounds, and dishing three assists.
The Knights held a 42-36 advantage at the half, and outscored Villa Maria 37-31 in the final 20 minutes to account for the 12-point win.
Berkeley's shooting efficiency turned out to be a key difference in the contest, as the Knights earned a conversion rate of 44.4 percent (32-72), while the Vikings hit on just 26 percent of their shot attempts (19-73). The Vikings held a 46-41 edge on the glass, but the Knights held edges in assists (13-8) and steals (12-6), while also winning the turnover battle by committing 13 miscues to Villa Maria's 15.
Sunday, December 1: Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) 108, Berkeley College 104 – OT
In Berkeley's tough loss to the Bobcats, Sheppard tied the game-high of 27 points while snatching four rebounds, dishing two assists, and swatting a pair of shots. Wallace added 22 points (9-13 FT), a team-high eight assists, and a game-high six steals. Jesse Taylor added 12 points, six boards, and a pair of steals, and Isaacs and Justyce Coleman finished with 11 points apiece, with Isaacs also registering five assists.
Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) had four players scoring in double figures, including Armonee Felder, as he connected on 11 of his 20 attempts from the floor to tie for the game-high of 27 points. His 10 assists were a game-high, and he also collected six rebounds and tallied five steals. Nahshon Sylvester and Cameron Watts added 22 points apiece, with Sylvester also grabbing a game-best 12 boards, dishing eight assists, and swiping four steals. Galen Waters scored 20 points and grabbed four rebounds, as well.
Berkeley led by as many as 11 points in the opening half (32-21), but the Bobcats battled back to inch to within four points (46-42) as time expired on the first half. The Knights then took its largest lead of the game, 72-58, with 11:50 to go, but Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) outscored Berkeley 38-19 over a span of 11:30 to take a 95-90 edge with 20 seconds left. A Wallace three-point play, and a made layup by Taylor helped the Knights send the contest to overtime.
The Knights held a 100-98 advantage in the extra session, but the hosts outscored Berkeley 10-4 the rest of the way to claim a thrilling four-point victory.
Both squads shot extremely well from the floor, with Berkeley converting on 48.6 percent of their shot attempts (35-72), and the Bobcats hitting on 48.1 percent of their (37-77). Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) held a 45-41 advantage on the glass, while also dishing 27 assists compared to 21 for the Knights. The Bobcats also held a 19-17 edge in steals, and committed 24 turnovers to the visitors' 26
Tuesday, December 3: Berkeley College 92, Washington Adventist 82
Deontay Sprattley connected on seven of his 15 attempts from the floor, including four of eight shots from downtown, to finalize his evening with a game-high 19 points. He also collected four boards, dished three assists, and added two steals. Wallace (4-4 FT) added 15 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished two assists, and swiped two steals, and Isaacs and Brian Fajardo scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Finally, it was Sheppard scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 11 boards.
Rande Harper led the Shock with a team-best 17 points to go along with three rebounds. Chase Cooke finished with 16 points, a game-high seven assists, six rebounds, and a team-high three steals. Finally, Jalen Anderson scored 12 points and collected four rebounds despite the loss.
The game was a tightly contested battle through the first half, with both teams trading baskets and showcasing offensive firepower. The Shock stayed within striking distance, however, Berkeley capitalized on key turnovers and efficient shooting to take a slim nine-point lead into halftime.
In the second half, Berkeley ramped up the pressure, extending their lead with a combination of perimeter shooting and strong inside play. Washington Adventist University responded with a run of their own, but the Knights' depth and balanced attack ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Berkeley College converted on 45.9 percent of their attempts from the floor (34-74), while Washington Adventist connected 41.4 percent of its shots (29-70). The Knights held a slim 43-40 edge on the glass, while also winning the turnover battle, committing 18 miscues while the Shock finished with 21. Berkeley doubled Washington Adventist in steals (12-6), but the Shock held a 15-13 advantage in assists.
Friday, December 6: Central Maine C.C. 84, Berkeley College 81
The Mustangs raced out of the gate, building a 20-8 advantage in the first five minutes behind some hot outside shooting. Wyatt Hathaway, Da'Vohn Jonas, and Will Duke combined for four three-pointers. Berkeley closed to within two towards the end of the first half, but the Mustangs once again put some distance between themselves and the Knights, going up 47-38 at the break.
Duke and Hathaway both connected from outside early in the second half, and Moore and Jonas both threw down dunks inside the first five minutes. The Knights then proceeded to put together a comeback attempt.
Julio Wallace and Deontay Sprattley combined for 23 points in the final 20 minutes, rallying back from a 45-64 deficit. Ike Sheppard connected on a three-pointer with 4:23 left in the contest to tie the score at 72-72.
A Wallace layup put Berkeley on top 81-80 with just 41 seconds to go before CMCC ended their run. Moore made his eighth and final bucket of the night to leapfrog back in front, Hathaway connected on a pair of free throws in the final seconds, and Sheppard missed a desperation three at the buzzer as the Mustangs hung on for the win.
Moore put up a double-double on 18 points and 10 rebounds. Hathaway ended with 13 on a 3-for-7 night from outside. Duke had 12 points and dished out eight assists while Jonas finished with 10 points of his own. Pound was one shy of a double-double himself after a nine point and 12 rebound effort.
Saturday, December 7: Berkeley College 78, Southern Maine C.C. 71
In the Knights' victory over the Seawolves, Sheppard scored a team-high 17 points while leading all players with 12 rebounds. Wallace nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and nine boards, and Coleman finished with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two swatted shots.
For SMCC, Charlie Houghton totaled 23 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas Martinotti contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, and Sean Bosia added 13 points and four boards.
Berkeley College led 33-32 at halftime, and went on a 9-2 run over the opening 3:15 of the final session to snatch a 42-34 advantage. SMCC slowly cut away its deficit and recaptured the lead when Martinotti drained a triple. The score later would be knotted 61-61, until the Knights recorded a 7-0 run with four minutes left, courtesy of a trifecta by Fajardo, and buckets by Sheppard and Coleman. Each team would score 10 points apiece from there, as Berkeley went on to win the game by seven.
The Knights converted on 46.9 percent of their attempts from the floor (30-64), while the Seawolves earned a 42.4 percent conversion rate (28-66). SMCC held a slim 37-34 edge on the glass, while also piling 20 assists to Berkeley's 18. The Knights held a 9-8 advantage in steals, while also winning the turnover battle, committing 14 miscues to SMCC's 15.
Next up for Berkeley College:
The Knights will wrap up calendar year 2024 on Saturday, December 14, as Berkeley College will take on Bryant & Stratton-Albany in a home contest. The location is to-be-determined, but the start-time is set for 4:00pm.
