Grace Men Win Tournament
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
It was freshman Elliot Smith, however, that hit a game-winning shot with little more than a second remaining in Saturday afternoon's championship game, helping the Lancers beat the host Spartans 77-76 at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.[[In-content Ad]]"Elliot had missed a couple shots earlier, but I told him he'd get another chance to make a shot," said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. "I told him not to think about it, just eye it and fly it. He didn't drop his head, he stayed confident. He stayed with it and he made a great shot to win the game. Elliot Smith is a real winner."
A bucket by Tyler Delauder gave Manchester a 76-75 lead with 15 seconds remaining, and the host Spartans got the ball right back after a Grace turnover.
The Lancers were forced to foul, and the Spartans' Jason Spindler missed a pair of free throws, the second of which was rebounded by Grace senior David Swanson, setting up Smith's game-winning jumper.
"Even if we had lost, this was still a good game," said Kessler. "I wasn't going to be down, even if we had lost. It was a really good game. We only had 10 turnovers, which is an improvement for us. We've had 20 turnovers in some games. We had a lot of people step up, and it was good to get the win."
After scoring 19 points in Friday's 69-46 semifinal win over Concordia, Henry led the Lancers Saturday with a game-high 20 points en route to tournament MVP honors.
Smith, whose game-winner allowed him to rebound from a 5-of-14 effort from the field, and Swanson, who pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, scored 14 points each for Grace and were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Lancers' Duke Johnson, who was 5 of 5 from the field, scored 12 points and dished out four assists.
Senior Kyle Plumlee and sophomore Dayton Merrell scored six points each for the Lancers, while freshman Tannan Peters chipped in with five.
Merrell, who has missed part of this season with a back injury, hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, giving the Lancers a 75-74 advantage.
"Dayton made a huge three-pointer," said Kessler. "That was a huge shot. He's been out with an injury, it's nice to have him back."
Manchester, which trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, had four players score in double figures.
Delauder, Spindler and Jason Moss led the way with 12 points each, while Mitch Schaefer chipped in with 11 points.
Tyler Henn and Nathan Ferch scored nine and seven points, respectively for the Spartans, while former Warsaw player Colin Clemens scored five points.
Clemens, a senior, came off the bench and single-handidly led Manchester on a 5-0 run, hitting a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Moss and Schaefer were named to the All-Tournament Team for Manchester.
Also receiving All-Tournament honors was Concordia's Marius Williams.
Concordia beat Alma 59-56 in Saturday's consolation game.
Grace improved to 5-2 on the season, while Manchester fell to 3-1.
The Lancers are in action again Tuesday, as they open Mid-Central Conference play at No. 3 Bethel.
"We're better than we were two weeks ago, and we're better than we were last week," Kessler said of his team, which includes nine freshman. "Whether or not we're ready to go on the road and play the No. 3 team in the country, that remains to be seen."
It was freshman Elliot Smith, however, that hit a game-winning shot with little more than a second remaining in Saturday afternoon's championship game, helping the Lancers beat the host Spartans 77-76 at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.[[In-content Ad]]"Elliot had missed a couple shots earlier, but I told him he'd get another chance to make a shot," said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. "I told him not to think about it, just eye it and fly it. He didn't drop his head, he stayed confident. He stayed with it and he made a great shot to win the game. Elliot Smith is a real winner."
A bucket by Tyler Delauder gave Manchester a 76-75 lead with 15 seconds remaining, and the host Spartans got the ball right back after a Grace turnover.
The Lancers were forced to foul, and the Spartans' Jason Spindler missed a pair of free throws, the second of which was rebounded by Grace senior David Swanson, setting up Smith's game-winning jumper.
"Even if we had lost, this was still a good game," said Kessler. "I wasn't going to be down, even if we had lost. It was a really good game. We only had 10 turnovers, which is an improvement for us. We've had 20 turnovers in some games. We had a lot of people step up, and it was good to get the win."
After scoring 19 points in Friday's 69-46 semifinal win over Concordia, Henry led the Lancers Saturday with a game-high 20 points en route to tournament MVP honors.
Smith, whose game-winner allowed him to rebound from a 5-of-14 effort from the field, and Swanson, who pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, scored 14 points each for Grace and were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The Lancers' Duke Johnson, who was 5 of 5 from the field, scored 12 points and dished out four assists.
Senior Kyle Plumlee and sophomore Dayton Merrell scored six points each for the Lancers, while freshman Tannan Peters chipped in with five.
Merrell, who has missed part of this season with a back injury, hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, giving the Lancers a 75-74 advantage.
"Dayton made a huge three-pointer," said Kessler. "That was a huge shot. He's been out with an injury, it's nice to have him back."
Manchester, which trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, had four players score in double figures.
Delauder, Spindler and Jason Moss led the way with 12 points each, while Mitch Schaefer chipped in with 11 points.
Tyler Henn and Nathan Ferch scored nine and seven points, respectively for the Spartans, while former Warsaw player Colin Clemens scored five points.
Clemens, a senior, came off the bench and single-handidly led Manchester on a 5-0 run, hitting a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Moss and Schaefer were named to the All-Tournament Team for Manchester.
Also receiving All-Tournament honors was Concordia's Marius Williams.
Concordia beat Alma 59-56 in Saturday's consolation game.
Grace improved to 5-2 on the season, while Manchester fell to 3-1.
The Lancers are in action again Tuesday, as they open Mid-Central Conference play at No. 3 Bethel.
"We're better than we were two weeks ago, and we're better than we were last week," Kessler said of his team, which includes nine freshman. "Whether or not we're ready to go on the road and play the No. 3 team in the country, that remains to be seen."
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