Winning streak snapped

Gators drop two games after winning five consecutive.

Keshaun Johnson muscles his way for two of his 11 points against the Apprentice School. He also had 11 rebounds.
Keshaun Johnson muscles his way for two of his 11 points against the Apprentice School. He also had 11 rebounds.
December 16, 2024

The Virginia Peninsula Community College men's basketball team suffered two losses last week, snapping a five-game winning streak. The Gators (7-3) had won each game on their streak by nine points or more.

On Dec. 14, the Gators traveled just a few miles down the road to face The Apprentice School in Newport News, falling 70-58 in a noisy and packed gym. Against the Builders (6-2), the Gators had four players share team-high honors with 11 points, but shot 36.9% from the floor and 50% from the free throw line. They made 3 of 16 3-pointers and committed 15 turnovers. They held their own on the boards, getting outrebounded just 40-39. The Builders, who shot 46% from the field and 90% from the line, were led by Adrion Wall with 20 points, including his 1,000th career point.

Keshaun Johnson (Nansemond River High School/Suffolk) had a double-double for the Gators with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Daytwan Johnson (Booker T. Washington/Norfolk) followed with 11 points and eight rebounds. D'Cameron Haynes (Munford HS/Memphis, Tenn.) and Jakobe Reed (Woodside/Hampton) also scored 11 points for the Gators. Sincere Moore (Matoaca High School/Chesterfield) chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds.

The Gators scored the first two points of the game, but the Builders held a 26-19 lead with just more than five minutes left in the half. After the Gators closed to 26-25, Apprentice went on an 8-0 run for a 34-25 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Builders increased their lead to 13 within the first minute, but the Gators slowly got back in the game. They used a 17-8 run to close to 46-42 with 11:37 left and trailed by just five (56-51) at the 6:19 mark. However, the hosts answered with a 7-0 run for a 63-51 lead with 4:29 remaining.

"We played hard," said coach Chris Moore.

Three days before the Apprentice game, the Gators' winning streak ended with a 77-63 loss at Bryant & Stratton in Virginia Beach. VPCC trailed 40-29 at halftime and was outscored 37-34 in the second half.

The Gators have a two-game homestand - Dec. 18 against Gaston College (Dallas, N.C.) and Dec. 20 against Monroe University of the Bronx – before taking a break for the holidays. Both games are at the SafeHaven Empowerment Center on Thorncliff Drive in Newport News.