Lancers Find Chink In Knight's Armor
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Winona Lake -ÊTuesday night, in a pivotal game that decided who was to become the sole possessor of third place in the Mid-Central Conference, the men's basketball team of Grace College was able to get the "W" when they faced off against the visiting Marion Knights by an end score of 69-63.
This is not the first match-up these two teams have had this year.
Tuesday night, Grace was able to avenge themselves of an earlier loss in the season, when Marion was able to score a victory as Grace visited Indianapolis.
"This game was more like a chess match. It came down to big plays and execution," said Grace coach Jim Kessler. "We were able to beat their zone, and when Matt Abernethy was double or triple teamed, we were able to distribute."
The receiver of MCC player of the week three times, including last week, Abernethy was held to a season low of nine points, but support from his teamates came when they needed it most. Corey smith went 3 for 5 from behind the arc and came up with two steals, while teammate Andrew Kipsey went 4 for 7, and Daniel Beucher made five crucial steals.
Kessler stated that he was "Proud of the boys," giving reference to the "amount of heart on the team. We had guys hittin' the floor to get a steal."
There were several critical moments throughout the game where mere heart determined the later outcome.
Corey Smith's hustle on defense to create a turnover followed by a three-pointer being one. Tim Bailey getting the boards on a missed free throw to seal the game being another.
And let us not forget the importance of free throws; the Lancers went 18 for 20 on the night. Their defensive heart and 90 percent free throw conversion provided enough of a cushion for the Lancers to ride not scoring a single field goal in the last 9:27.
Looking ahead, Kessler said: "We have had a great start to the second half of the season. We are starting to believe, we are starting to peak at the right moment, and we are building confidence."
With this win, the Lancers become 19-8 overall, and 7-4 in conference, which puts them securely in third place in the conference, while the Knights slip to 12-9 overall, and 6-5 in the conference.
The Lancers have put together a four-game winning streak, and face three tough conference games to end pre-tournament play. [[In-content Ad]]
Winona Lake -ÊTuesday night, in a pivotal game that decided who was to become the sole possessor of third place in the Mid-Central Conference, the men's basketball team of Grace College was able to get the "W" when they faced off against the visiting Marion Knights by an end score of 69-63.
This is not the first match-up these two teams have had this year.
Tuesday night, Grace was able to avenge themselves of an earlier loss in the season, when Marion was able to score a victory as Grace visited Indianapolis.
"This game was more like a chess match. It came down to big plays and execution," said Grace coach Jim Kessler. "We were able to beat their zone, and when Matt Abernethy was double or triple teamed, we were able to distribute."
The receiver of MCC player of the week three times, including last week, Abernethy was held to a season low of nine points, but support from his teamates came when they needed it most. Corey smith went 3 for 5 from behind the arc and came up with two steals, while teammate Andrew Kipsey went 4 for 7, and Daniel Beucher made five crucial steals.
Kessler stated that he was "Proud of the boys," giving reference to the "amount of heart on the team. We had guys hittin' the floor to get a steal."
There were several critical moments throughout the game where mere heart determined the later outcome.
Corey Smith's hustle on defense to create a turnover followed by a three-pointer being one. Tim Bailey getting the boards on a missed free throw to seal the game being another.
And let us not forget the importance of free throws; the Lancers went 18 for 20 on the night. Their defensive heart and 90 percent free throw conversion provided enough of a cushion for the Lancers to ride not scoring a single field goal in the last 9:27.
Looking ahead, Kessler said: "We have had a great start to the second half of the season. We are starting to believe, we are starting to peak at the right moment, and we are building confidence."
With this win, the Lancers become 19-8 overall, and 7-4 in conference, which puts them securely in third place in the conference, while the Knights slip to 12-9 overall, and 6-5 in the conference.
The Lancers have put together a four-game winning streak, and face three tough conference games to end pre-tournament play. [[In-content Ad]]