The Berkeley College men's basketball team's quest for its first USCAA Division I National title came up short this week, as the No. 8 seeded Knights lost to the No. 5 seeded Apprentice School Builders by a score of 100-83 Thursday evening at the Flickenger Center in Buffalo, NY. With the defeat, Berkeley wrapped-up its 2024-2025 campaign with a mark of 18-11, while Apprentice improved to 18-7, advancing to play No. 3 Villa Maria in Friday National title clash.
Despite the loss for the Knights, five players scored in double figures on the evening, including Ike Sheppard, as he connected on seven of his nine shots from the floor to finish with a game-high 18 points. He also tied for the game-high of six rebounds while blocking two shots. Justyce Coleman and DaMarco Watson scored 13 points apiece, with Coleman also tying for the team-best of six boards, and Julio Wallace and Brian Fajardo netted 10 points apiece.
In the victory for the Builders, Apprentice used the stellar combination of Adrion Wall and Donovan Means to advance to the USCAA Division I finals. Wall (8-13 FG, 6-8 3pt FG, 9-11 FT) led all scorers with 31 points on the night. He also collected five rebounds and a swiped a pair of steals. Means (8-15 FG, 5-7 3pt FG, 9-9 FT) netted 30 points to go along with four assists and a game-high three steals. Xavien Hunter and Kelby Saunders Jr. both tied for the game-high of nine rebounds, with Hunter also leading all players with six assists.
The Knights jumped out to a nine-point lead after the first five minutes at 17-8 before the Builders turned up the offense, scoring 21 of the next 31 points to cut the lead to 29-27 with eight minutes to go in the first half. Apprentice tied the game up at 32-32 with 5:02 left in the period and then stretched the lead to 47-38 by intermission.
Apprentice kept the lead at double figures for the majority of the second half, pushing the margin to as many as 21 down the stretch to return to the championship game for the fourth time in program history, winning each of the first three.
Missed opportunities at the free throw line hurt the Knights, as Berkeley connected on just 16 out of 30 attempts from the stripe (53.3 percent). Apprentice drained 30 out of 38 attempts from the line, earning a conversion rate of 78.9 percent. The Knights lost the semifinal round clash despite being the more efficient team shooting the ball from the field, as Berkeley hit on 49.2 percent of its attempts (32-65) compared to a 43.8 percent conversion rate for Apprentice (28-64).
The Builders dominated on the glass, snatching 48 rebounds compared to 31 for the Knights, and Apprentice also dished 20 assists to Berkeley's 11. The teams finished with 11 steals apiece, and Berkeley won the turnover battle, committing 16 miscues to Apprentice's 20.
Although the Knights fell short of their ultimate goal, Berkeley College still has plenty to look back on with pride. Competing in USCAA Division I for the first time in its history, the Knights improved their win total from last season by four games, capturing 18 wins and qualifying for the USCAA National Tournament. Julio Wallace was named a USCAA Second Team All-American, and Karif Isaacs earned an Honorable Mention All-American Distinction. Pena eclipsed 135 victories as the team's head coach (he now has 136), and many players on the roster should be eligible to return for 2025-2026, as the Knights will gear up and prepare to make another run at NACIA and USCAA Division I titles when the season tips off in November!
