Second-Half Surge Lifts Lancers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
"This is a young team that has to learn how to win," Grace coach Jim Kessler said. "Sometimes, there's not a lot of strategic adjustments, it's just playing hard and figuring out how to do it together. Players have to step up and make plays."
One player that stepped up was junior Duke Johnson, who scored 21 second-half points, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
"They started going down to Duke," Goshen coach Gary Chupp said. "We had no answer for him. Both of our bigs were in foul trouble and Sean Day got a concussion at the end of the first half and couldn't play. So, we were giving up eight, nine inches in the post and they took advantage of it like they should have done."
After missing his first three shots of the second half, Johnson came back to score 13 straight points for Grace. His outburst helped Grace take a 41-39 lead after trailing 36-28 three minutes earlier.
"He can be like that," Kessler said of Johnson, who outscored Goshen 13-2 between the 16:02 and 12:26 marks of the second half. "He can be dynamite."
After fighting to get the lead, however, Grace relinquished it when Goshen used an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to go in front 50-41 with 10:20 remaining.
At that time, Kessler called a timeout and got his team refocused for the stretch run.
"I think it came down to the intensity in the second half," Kessler said. "We outscored them 38-22 in the paint. When we play well, we score in the paint."
Grace sophomore Bruce Grimm Jr. was also instrumental in the final 10 minutes, scoring seven of his 17 points in that time. Grimm also finished the game with five assists, five rebounds and two steals.
"It's a hard loss," Chupp said. "It's a hard one to take."
Though Goshen came into the game winless in the MCC, Kessler wasn't looking past the Maple Leafs.
"In the MCC, every game is a battle that goes right down to the wire," he said. "I was proud of the way we finished."
The Lancers are back in MCC play Saturday when they host Taylor at the OCC.
"They're a fine ball club," Kessler said of Taylor. "They're going to be real physical with us too."
GRACE 73, GOSHEN 66
Gos 24 42 - 66
Gra 25 48 - 73
Grace - Dayton Merrell 2-6 2-2 7, Tannan Peters 0-1 0-0 0, Duke Johnson 9-15 5-5 23, Elliot Smith 2-6 2-4 7, Bruce Grimm Jr 6-13 5-6 17, Lee Ross 1-2 0-1 2, David Henry 2-4 3-4 8, Jacob Peattie 1-2 0-0 3, Greg Miller 0-3 0-1 0, Stephen Kaufman 0-0 0-0 0, Dennis Williams 2-3 2-7 6, Nathan VanDuyne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 19-30 73.
Goshen - Matthew Martin 4-10 3-4 14, Carl Steen 2-6 2-5 6, Taylor TenHarmsel 2-2 0-0 4, Jeremy Pope 2-6 4-4 10, Kyle Davis 5-11 2-4 12, Simon Szablicki 0-3 0-0 0, Casey Pratt 0-2 0-0 0, Nate Manning 2-6 5-6 9, Seth Kauffman 3-6 5-8 11, Geofrey Gilot 0-3 0-2 0, Sean Day 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-55 21-33 66.
Three-point goals - Grace 4-11 (Merrell, Smith, Henry, Peattie), Goshen 5-23 (Martin 3, Pope 2); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Grace 25, Goshen 26 (TenHarmsel, Kauffman); Turnovers - Grace 19, Goshen 18; Rebounds - Grace 39 (Johnson 12), Goshen 27 (Martin 6); Assists - Grace 16 (Grimm Jr. 5), Goshen 12 (Davis 7); Steals - Grace 9 (Merrell 2, Grimm Jr. 2), Goshen 11 (Martin 3, Davis 3); Blocks - Grace 3, Goshen 3; Records: Grace 11-6 (2-2 MCC), Goshen 7-10 (0-4 MCC)
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"This is a young team that has to learn how to win," Grace coach Jim Kessler said. "Sometimes, there's not a lot of strategic adjustments, it's just playing hard and figuring out how to do it together. Players have to step up and make plays."
One player that stepped up was junior Duke Johnson, who scored 21 second-half points, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
"They started going down to Duke," Goshen coach Gary Chupp said. "We had no answer for him. Both of our bigs were in foul trouble and Sean Day got a concussion at the end of the first half and couldn't play. So, we were giving up eight, nine inches in the post and they took advantage of it like they should have done."
After missing his first three shots of the second half, Johnson came back to score 13 straight points for Grace. His outburst helped Grace take a 41-39 lead after trailing 36-28 three minutes earlier.
"He can be like that," Kessler said of Johnson, who outscored Goshen 13-2 between the 16:02 and 12:26 marks of the second half. "He can be dynamite."
After fighting to get the lead, however, Grace relinquished it when Goshen used an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to go in front 50-41 with 10:20 remaining.
At that time, Kessler called a timeout and got his team refocused for the stretch run.
"I think it came down to the intensity in the second half," Kessler said. "We outscored them 38-22 in the paint. When we play well, we score in the paint."
Grace sophomore Bruce Grimm Jr. was also instrumental in the final 10 minutes, scoring seven of his 17 points in that time. Grimm also finished the game with five assists, five rebounds and two steals.
"It's a hard loss," Chupp said. "It's a hard one to take."
Though Goshen came into the game winless in the MCC, Kessler wasn't looking past the Maple Leafs.
"In the MCC, every game is a battle that goes right down to the wire," he said. "I was proud of the way we finished."
The Lancers are back in MCC play Saturday when they host Taylor at the OCC.
"They're a fine ball club," Kessler said of Taylor. "They're going to be real physical with us too."
GRACE 73, GOSHEN 66
Gos 24 42 - 66
Gra 25 48 - 73
Grace - Dayton Merrell 2-6 2-2 7, Tannan Peters 0-1 0-0 0, Duke Johnson 9-15 5-5 23, Elliot Smith 2-6 2-4 7, Bruce Grimm Jr 6-13 5-6 17, Lee Ross 1-2 0-1 2, David Henry 2-4 3-4 8, Jacob Peattie 1-2 0-0 3, Greg Miller 0-3 0-1 0, Stephen Kaufman 0-0 0-0 0, Dennis Williams 2-3 2-7 6, Nathan VanDuyne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 19-30 73.
Goshen - Matthew Martin 4-10 3-4 14, Carl Steen 2-6 2-5 6, Taylor TenHarmsel 2-2 0-0 4, Jeremy Pope 2-6 4-4 10, Kyle Davis 5-11 2-4 12, Simon Szablicki 0-3 0-0 0, Casey Pratt 0-2 0-0 0, Nate Manning 2-6 5-6 9, Seth Kauffman 3-6 5-8 11, Geofrey Gilot 0-3 0-2 0, Sean Day 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-55 21-33 66.
Three-point goals - Grace 4-11 (Merrell, Smith, Henry, Peattie), Goshen 5-23 (Martin 3, Pope 2); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Grace 25, Goshen 26 (TenHarmsel, Kauffman); Turnovers - Grace 19, Goshen 18; Rebounds - Grace 39 (Johnson 12), Goshen 27 (Martin 6); Assists - Grace 16 (Grimm Jr. 5), Goshen 12 (Davis 7); Steals - Grace 9 (Merrell 2, Grimm Jr. 2), Goshen 11 (Martin 3, Davis 3); Blocks - Grace 3, Goshen 3; Records: Grace 11-6 (2-2 MCC), Goshen 7-10 (0-4 MCC)
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