Men's Hoops Win Leads Grace College Roundup
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
Bruce Grimm Jr. led all players with 22 points to lift the Lancers to a 69-63 victory over No. 25 Taylor on Grace’s Senior Day.
The Lancers (21-8; 13-5 Crossroads League) will host seventh-seeded Marian University Wednesday at 7 p.m. With a win over Marian, Grace would host the winner of Bethel/Saint Francis in the tournament semifinals Saturday.
The tournament championship will be played Feb. 26 with the champion earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
Grace recorded its third straight game with six or fewer turnovers. Against Taylor, the Lancers shot 50 percent or better from the floor each half.
The first half was a classic Crossroads League battle as the teams traded small leads.
Grace erased a 12-9 deficit with an 11-2 spurt thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Elliot Smith.
The Lancers’ defense held Taylor to 32 percent shooting in the first half. The Trojans (19-11; 11-7 CL) found a way to score from the free throw line, however.
Taylor made 14 of- 6 from the charity stripe before halftime. Over the final 9:26 of the first half, Taylor made just three field goals but sank 10 free throws.
Grace’s offense, on the other hand, was fluid with a 54 percent shooting clip in the first half. Grimm led all players with 13 points as the Lancers were up 34-33 at the half.
The Lancers stayed ahead of the Trojans for the duration of the second half, but they never led by more than nine points.
With 2:03 to play the Lancers led 60-57, but the Trojans were at the free throw line for a bonus attempt. Taylor missed the front-end of the 1-and-1, and Greg Miller scored quickly to put the Lancers ahead by five.
The Trojans were again fouled but made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe to make the score 62-58 with 1:23 remaining.
Karl Columbus then put the game out of reach with back-to-back buckets, the last of which was a fastbreak layup aided by a steal by Miller. After Columbus’ burst, the Lancers were ahead by eight points with 49 seconds to play.
Columbus scored nine of his 11 points after halftime. He finished 5 of 6 from the floor.
Grimm’s 22 points came with a team-best five assists and a steal. Miller tallied eight points and six rebounds, and Smith scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the arc.
Dennis Williams contributed five points, seven rebounds and two assists, and Kyle Fillman added four points, three rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Grace’s senior class of Grimm, Smith, Tannan Peters and Lee Ross were honored Saturday. The foursome has led the Lancers to back-to-back berths in the NAIA National Tournament and is on the cusp of a third-straight appearance.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UPLAND – Grace College’s women’s basketball team fell 78-66 Saturday at Taylor in the regular-season finale as the Lady Lancers doomed themselves with 24 turnovers.
The Lady Lancers enter postseason competition Tuesday when they travel to Bethel for the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament.
Juaneice Jackson poured in 16 of her 22 points in the second half, but her production was not enough to overcome the Lady Trojans (21-8; 10-7 Crossroads League).
Grace startled the home team by taking a 13-4 lead out of the gate. Taylor battled back with a 10-2 run midway through the half to reclaim the lead.
The Lady Lancers trailed 28-27 with 3:28 to play before the Trojans scored 10 unanswered to end the half and stake a 38-27 halftime advantage.
Taylor still led by double-digits before Grace ripped off 13 straight points to cut the Lady Trojans’ lead to 50-49 with 10:46 to play. Jackson scored eight of Grace’s points in the run.
Unfortunately for Grace, its momentum ran out soon after. Taylor built its lead back up to double digits and maintained it for the duration of the contest.
Jackson made 7 of 10 from the field in the second half and 4 of 5 from the three-point line for her 22 points and three assists.
Allison Kauffman finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, Emily Bidwell made 4 of 6 attempts for eight points, and Jayla Starks chipped in eight points of her own.
Grace made 50 percent of its shots, but the 24 turnovers proved too much to overcome.
TRACK AND FIELD
MARION – Major revisions were made to Grace’s track and field record books at the NCCAA Indoor Nationals over the weekend.
The Lancers set seven school records, the men’s 4x800 relay team qualified for NAIA Nationals, and Sabrina Whitaker was named an NCCAA All-American in the high jump.
“It was nice to see some people step up to the competition. This was the best NCCAA indoor meet ever, with numerous meet records set, so our athletes had success against a very talented field,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond.
The men’s 4x800 foursome of Jonathan Rex, Lance Taylor, Ben Drew and Donovan Graham posted a school-record time of 7:58.67. They will run at the NAIA Nationals in Geneva, Ohio, in two weeks.
“I'm proud of the way the guys on the 4x800 relay came through,” Raymond said. “We talked early in the year about trying to qualify for NAIAs, but the early meets had not gone as well as we expected. But they stepped up today to run a qualifying time.”
Whitaker was the individual standout of the day for the Lady Lancers with a school-record clearance of 1.60 meters (5-feet-3) in the high jump. Her mark tied for third in the event, giving her All-American status from the NCCAA.
Nathan Brown matched Whitaker’s school record on the men’s side with a 1.91m clearance of his own for eighth place, and Luke Frauhiger broke his own school record in the pole vault with 4.13m (13-feet-6).
The men’s relay teams picked up three school records, including the 4x800 squad. The 4x200 team of Joshua Reichard, Brown, Seth Booker and Taylor finished in 1:33.84 for 11th place, and Taylor and Booker teamed up with Graham and Zach Speckman to post a time of 3:28.53 in the 4x400.
Booker picked up his third school record of the meet in the 60m hurdles when he crossed the finish line in 9.02 seconds.
The Lancers’ final indoor meet of the season before NAIA Nationals is next weekend at the Trine Invitational.[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Bruce Grimm Jr. led all players with 22 points to lift the Lancers to a 69-63 victory over No. 25 Taylor on Grace’s Senior Day.
The Lancers (21-8; 13-5 Crossroads League) will host seventh-seeded Marian University Wednesday at 7 p.m. With a win over Marian, Grace would host the winner of Bethel/Saint Francis in the tournament semifinals Saturday.
The tournament championship will be played Feb. 26 with the champion earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
Grace recorded its third straight game with six or fewer turnovers. Against Taylor, the Lancers shot 50 percent or better from the floor each half.
The first half was a classic Crossroads League battle as the teams traded small leads.
Grace erased a 12-9 deficit with an 11-2 spurt thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Elliot Smith.
The Lancers’ defense held Taylor to 32 percent shooting in the first half. The Trojans (19-11; 11-7 CL) found a way to score from the free throw line, however.
Taylor made 14 of- 6 from the charity stripe before halftime. Over the final 9:26 of the first half, Taylor made just three field goals but sank 10 free throws.
Grace’s offense, on the other hand, was fluid with a 54 percent shooting clip in the first half. Grimm led all players with 13 points as the Lancers were up 34-33 at the half.
The Lancers stayed ahead of the Trojans for the duration of the second half, but they never led by more than nine points.
With 2:03 to play the Lancers led 60-57, but the Trojans were at the free throw line for a bonus attempt. Taylor missed the front-end of the 1-and-1, and Greg Miller scored quickly to put the Lancers ahead by five.
The Trojans were again fouled but made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe to make the score 62-58 with 1:23 remaining.
Karl Columbus then put the game out of reach with back-to-back buckets, the last of which was a fastbreak layup aided by a steal by Miller. After Columbus’ burst, the Lancers were ahead by eight points with 49 seconds to play.
Columbus scored nine of his 11 points after halftime. He finished 5 of 6 from the floor.
Grimm’s 22 points came with a team-best five assists and a steal. Miller tallied eight points and six rebounds, and Smith scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the arc.
Dennis Williams contributed five points, seven rebounds and two assists, and Kyle Fillman added four points, three rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Grace’s senior class of Grimm, Smith, Tannan Peters and Lee Ross were honored Saturday. The foursome has led the Lancers to back-to-back berths in the NAIA National Tournament and is on the cusp of a third-straight appearance.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UPLAND – Grace College’s women’s basketball team fell 78-66 Saturday at Taylor in the regular-season finale as the Lady Lancers doomed themselves with 24 turnovers.
The Lady Lancers enter postseason competition Tuesday when they travel to Bethel for the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament.
Juaneice Jackson poured in 16 of her 22 points in the second half, but her production was not enough to overcome the Lady Trojans (21-8; 10-7 Crossroads League).
Grace startled the home team by taking a 13-4 lead out of the gate. Taylor battled back with a 10-2 run midway through the half to reclaim the lead.
The Lady Lancers trailed 28-27 with 3:28 to play before the Trojans scored 10 unanswered to end the half and stake a 38-27 halftime advantage.
Taylor still led by double-digits before Grace ripped off 13 straight points to cut the Lady Trojans’ lead to 50-49 with 10:46 to play. Jackson scored eight of Grace’s points in the run.
Unfortunately for Grace, its momentum ran out soon after. Taylor built its lead back up to double digits and maintained it for the duration of the contest.
Jackson made 7 of 10 from the field in the second half and 4 of 5 from the three-point line for her 22 points and three assists.
Allison Kauffman finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, Emily Bidwell made 4 of 6 attempts for eight points, and Jayla Starks chipped in eight points of her own.
Grace made 50 percent of its shots, but the 24 turnovers proved too much to overcome.
TRACK AND FIELD
MARION – Major revisions were made to Grace’s track and field record books at the NCCAA Indoor Nationals over the weekend.
The Lancers set seven school records, the men’s 4x800 relay team qualified for NAIA Nationals, and Sabrina Whitaker was named an NCCAA All-American in the high jump.
“It was nice to see some people step up to the competition. This was the best NCCAA indoor meet ever, with numerous meet records set, so our athletes had success against a very talented field,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond.
The men’s 4x800 foursome of Jonathan Rex, Lance Taylor, Ben Drew and Donovan Graham posted a school-record time of 7:58.67. They will run at the NAIA Nationals in Geneva, Ohio, in two weeks.
“I'm proud of the way the guys on the 4x800 relay came through,” Raymond said. “We talked early in the year about trying to qualify for NAIAs, but the early meets had not gone as well as we expected. But they stepped up today to run a qualifying time.”
Whitaker was the individual standout of the day for the Lady Lancers with a school-record clearance of 1.60 meters (5-feet-3) in the high jump. Her mark tied for third in the event, giving her All-American status from the NCCAA.
Nathan Brown matched Whitaker’s school record on the men’s side with a 1.91m clearance of his own for eighth place, and Luke Frauhiger broke his own school record in the pole vault with 4.13m (13-feet-6).
The men’s relay teams picked up three school records, including the 4x800 squad. The 4x200 team of Joshua Reichard, Brown, Seth Booker and Taylor finished in 1:33.84 for 11th place, and Taylor and Booker teamed up with Graham and Zach Speckman to post a time of 3:28.53 in the 4x400.
Booker picked up his third school record of the meet in the 60m hurdles when he crossed the finish line in 9.02 seconds.
The Lancers’ final indoor meet of the season before NAIA Nationals is next weekend at the Trine Invitational.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092