Grace Chops Down Foresters
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
The majority of the second half, however, was a typical back-and-forth Mid-Central Conference battle.[[In-content Ad]]When all was said and done, the host Lancers pulled away for an 81-72 win, looking more like the team veteran coach Jim Kessler visioned, and not so much like the one that was outhustled and outplayed in a loss to Marian Tuesday.
"We came out shooting tonight," said Kessler, whose team raced out to a 21-6 lead. "That's something we have to continue to do. We have to be the aggressor."
The Lancers and Foresters came into the game tied for third in the MCC standings with 6-4 records and were tied at 19th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll.
Grace improved to 17-8 overall, while Huntingtion - which beat the Lancers 76-67 on Jan. 4 - fell to 18-7.
"This is a big win for us," said Kessler. "I thought the last couple games we played not to lose. Tonight, we came out and we were the aggressor. That's a good sign."
Another good sign was that the Lancers had four players score in double figures, and they dished out 18 assists while turning the ball over just nine times.
"That's been our Achilles' heel," Kessler said of the turnover problems that Grace has had at times this season. "We played well tonight."
Sophomore point guard Bruce Grimm Jr., who scored 12 of Grace's first 16 points, scored a game-high 27 points. He also made six steals and dished out four assists.
Senior David Henry finished with 15 points for the Lancers, while junior Duke Johnson chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Greg Miller added 10 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Tannan Peters contributed eight points and six rebounds off the bench for the Lancers.
"We got out of the blocks tonight and got a lead in the first half," said Kessler. "Bruce played really well, and David hit some shots. We also got some big contributions from our bigs. It's important for us to run things through Duke. He's a big part of what we do."
The Lancers are 14-1 this season when Johnson score 10 or more points.
Grace led 49-35 at halftime, and just as the Lancers opened the game with a 21-6 run, the Foresters opened the second half with a 21-6 spurt.
A bucket by Bobby Jolliff gave Huntington its first lead of the game, 56-55, with 12:10 remaining.
Grimm put the Lancers back in front with an old-fashioned three-point play 13 seconds later, and Grace led the remainder of the game.
Huntington trailed by just three points with 5:39 to play, but a three-pointer by Henry gave Grace a 71-65 lead and helped the Lancers stretch their advantage down the stretch.
"We knew they'd make a run at us," said Kessler. "We did a good job of hitting shots when we had to."
Tyler Shively led Huntington with 18 points, while Randall Lowe scored 14 points and T.J. Short and Caleb Kennedy added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
"They've got some really fine offensive players," Kessler said of the Foresters, who were 26 of 60 (43 percent) from the field overall, 4 of 16 from three-point range, and 16 of 19 from the free throw line.
The Lancers finished the game 30 of 70 overall (43 percent), 9 of 22 from the arc, and 12 of 17 at the charity stripe.
"We came out shooting," said Kessler. "We're not going to make every shot, but I was glad to see we were more aggressive and played with more confidence."
Spring Arbor leads the MCC with an 11-0 record, followed by St. Francis (9-3), Grace (7-4), Huntington (6-5), Spring Arbor (6-6), Marian (4-8), Taylor (4-8), Bethel (3-9) and Goshen (2-9).
The Lancers are back in action again Saturday in a 3 p.m. game at Goshen.
Grace hosted and defeated Goshen 73-66 on Jan. 6.
GRACE 81, HUNTINGTON 72
HU 35 37 - 72
GC 49 32 - 81
Huntington - Tyler Shively 5-12 7-8 18, Randall Lowe 5-12 4-5 14, Caleb Kennedy 5-10 1-2 11, Kellen Zawadzki 3-9 0-0 6, Shane Merryman 1-4 2-2 4, Chris Kent 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Nafziger 0-1 0-0 0, T.J. Short 4-6 2-2 13, Bobby Jolliff 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 26-60 16-19 72.
Grace - Greg Miller 4-8 1-2 10, Duke Johnson 5-12 2-4 12, David Henry 4-9 3-4 15, Elliot Smith 1-7 0-0 3, Bruce Grimm Jr. 10-19 5-6 27, Michael Humphrey 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Peattie 1-1 0-0 2, Dayton Merrell 1-2 0-0 2, Tannan Peters 3-10 1-1 8, Dennis Williams 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 30-70 12-17 81.
Three-pointers - Huntington 4 (Short 3, Shively), Grace 9 (Henry 4, Grimm 2, Miller, Smith, Peters); Rebounds - Huntington 36 (Jolliff 8), Grace 39 (Johnson 8); Turnovers - Huntington 15, Grace 9; Fouls - Huntington 19, Grace 17; Fouled out - none; Records: Huntington 18-7, 6-5 MCC, Grace 17-8, 7-4 MCC.
The majority of the second half, however, was a typical back-and-forth Mid-Central Conference battle.[[In-content Ad]]When all was said and done, the host Lancers pulled away for an 81-72 win, looking more like the team veteran coach Jim Kessler visioned, and not so much like the one that was outhustled and outplayed in a loss to Marian Tuesday.
"We came out shooting tonight," said Kessler, whose team raced out to a 21-6 lead. "That's something we have to continue to do. We have to be the aggressor."
The Lancers and Foresters came into the game tied for third in the MCC standings with 6-4 records and were tied at 19th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll.
Grace improved to 17-8 overall, while Huntingtion - which beat the Lancers 76-67 on Jan. 4 - fell to 18-7.
"This is a big win for us," said Kessler. "I thought the last couple games we played not to lose. Tonight, we came out and we were the aggressor. That's a good sign."
Another good sign was that the Lancers had four players score in double figures, and they dished out 18 assists while turning the ball over just nine times.
"That's been our Achilles' heel," Kessler said of the turnover problems that Grace has had at times this season. "We played well tonight."
Sophomore point guard Bruce Grimm Jr., who scored 12 of Grace's first 16 points, scored a game-high 27 points. He also made six steals and dished out four assists.
Senior David Henry finished with 15 points for the Lancers, while junior Duke Johnson chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Greg Miller added 10 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Tannan Peters contributed eight points and six rebounds off the bench for the Lancers.
"We got out of the blocks tonight and got a lead in the first half," said Kessler. "Bruce played really well, and David hit some shots. We also got some big contributions from our bigs. It's important for us to run things through Duke. He's a big part of what we do."
The Lancers are 14-1 this season when Johnson score 10 or more points.
Grace led 49-35 at halftime, and just as the Lancers opened the game with a 21-6 run, the Foresters opened the second half with a 21-6 spurt.
A bucket by Bobby Jolliff gave Huntington its first lead of the game, 56-55, with 12:10 remaining.
Grimm put the Lancers back in front with an old-fashioned three-point play 13 seconds later, and Grace led the remainder of the game.
Huntington trailed by just three points with 5:39 to play, but a three-pointer by Henry gave Grace a 71-65 lead and helped the Lancers stretch their advantage down the stretch.
"We knew they'd make a run at us," said Kessler. "We did a good job of hitting shots when we had to."
Tyler Shively led Huntington with 18 points, while Randall Lowe scored 14 points and T.J. Short and Caleb Kennedy added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
"They've got some really fine offensive players," Kessler said of the Foresters, who were 26 of 60 (43 percent) from the field overall, 4 of 16 from three-point range, and 16 of 19 from the free throw line.
The Lancers finished the game 30 of 70 overall (43 percent), 9 of 22 from the arc, and 12 of 17 at the charity stripe.
"We came out shooting," said Kessler. "We're not going to make every shot, but I was glad to see we were more aggressive and played with more confidence."
Spring Arbor leads the MCC with an 11-0 record, followed by St. Francis (9-3), Grace (7-4), Huntington (6-5), Spring Arbor (6-6), Marian (4-8), Taylor (4-8), Bethel (3-9) and Goshen (2-9).
The Lancers are back in action again Saturday in a 3 p.m. game at Goshen.
Grace hosted and defeated Goshen 73-66 on Jan. 6.
GRACE 81, HUNTINGTON 72
HU 35 37 - 72
GC 49 32 - 81
Huntington - Tyler Shively 5-12 7-8 18, Randall Lowe 5-12 4-5 14, Caleb Kennedy 5-10 1-2 11, Kellen Zawadzki 3-9 0-0 6, Shane Merryman 1-4 2-2 4, Chris Kent 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Nafziger 0-1 0-0 0, T.J. Short 4-6 2-2 13, Bobby Jolliff 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 26-60 16-19 72.
Grace - Greg Miller 4-8 1-2 10, Duke Johnson 5-12 2-4 12, David Henry 4-9 3-4 15, Elliot Smith 1-7 0-0 3, Bruce Grimm Jr. 10-19 5-6 27, Michael Humphrey 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Peattie 1-1 0-0 2, Dayton Merrell 1-2 0-0 2, Tannan Peters 3-10 1-1 8, Dennis Williams 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 30-70 12-17 81.
Three-pointers - Huntington 4 (Short 3, Shively), Grace 9 (Henry 4, Grimm 2, Miller, Smith, Peters); Rebounds - Huntington 36 (Jolliff 8), Grace 39 (Johnson 8); Turnovers - Huntington 15, Grace 9; Fouls - Huntington 19, Grace 17; Fouled out - none; Records: Huntington 18-7, 6-5 MCC, Grace 17-8, 7-4 MCC.
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