Grace Roundup: Lancers Win Tipoff Classic
November 5, 2018 at 4:35 a.m.
Grace Roundup: Lancers Win Tipoff Classic
By Josh Neuhart-
Grace won its season-opening Lancer Tipoff Classic by virtue of Saturday’s victory in a matchup of teacher versus student. CCU head coach Greg Miller is a former Lancer All-American, playing under Grace’s NAIA Hall of Fame head coach Jim Kessler.
The Eagles (2-1) started the game sharply on offense. CCU scored on its first three possessions and quickly earned an 11-4 edge.
The Lancers (2-0) slowly battled back, sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Logan Godfrey — the first triples of the senior’s career.
Grace eventually erased the Eagles’ lead and took the lead on the last play of the half. David Holden found Godfrey for a bucket in the paint, putting Grace ahead 43-42 at halftime.
Godfrey was an offensive force in the half, pouring in 22 points to go along with eight boards.
Grace’s momentum to end the first half carried into the second half. Charlie Warner scored five quick points, and Haden Deaton added four more to increase the Lancers’ lead to seven.
The Eagles only needed a few minutes to erase Grace’s lead, tying the score at 60 and taking a 63-62 lead with 9:40 remaining.
Grace responded immediately, ripping off a 13-0 run to pull ahead. Warner, Deaton and Jaret Sons each hit a trey during Grace’s charge to put the Lancers on top 75-63 with 7:15 remaining.
The Eagles refused to panic, however, and cooly battled back into the game. CCU’s Blake Walsman, who finished with a game-high 34 points, tied the game when he converted an and-1 in the final minute of regulation.
Each team had chances to win the game, but neither squad could find a game winner in the waning seconds.
In the overtime period, Grace made multiple key shots to hold off the Eagles.
Sons hit a pair of triples in a two-minute span, each time to put Grace on top. His last triple with 1:55 gave the Lancers a 93-90 edge.
CCU countered with a three-pointer on the next possession to tie the score, but Deaton answered with a trey of his own to make the score 96-93 with 31 seconds to play.
CCU was unable to score on its next possession, and Godfrey iced the win with a free throw.
Godfrey enjoyed a dominant game, pouring in 32 points and adding 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Deaton ripped chipped in with 22 points, five assists and two steals, and Warner added 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Sons had a well-rounded night with 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Braxton Linville added seven assists and five boards.
Grace held a plus-12 advantage in rebounding (44-32) and had 13 more assists (23-10) than the Eagles.
The Lancers hit the road for their first away game on Tuesday, playing at Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
WINONA LAKE – A strong first half of action unraveled for Grace's women's basketball team on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers led by 11 points at halftime, but Governors State rallied to steal a 65-61 victory in Grace's home opener.
Grace struggled to keep up with the size of the Jaguars, losing the rebounding battle by 42-28.
In the first half, Grace's defense held Governors State to just 21 points. The Jaguars shot 27 percent from the floor before halftime.
Kamryn Hostetler gave Grace a spark in the first quarter. The freshman scored seven points in a few minutes to put the Lady Lancers ahead.
In the second quarter, Grace used a 12-2 spurt to jump on top by 13. Brooke Sugg scored five points during that spree, and Vironnica Drake added four more.
The Lady Lancers led 32-21 at halftime after shooting 46 percent from the floor.
Grace's lead evaporated in the third quarter. Governors State erupted for 23 points in the third stanza – more than their total output from the first half.
The Jaguars opened the second half by scoring 11 straight points to tie the contest.
Hostetler and Sugg helped Grace recover, combining for nine points in a two-minute span. But Grace's five-point cushion did not last long.
The Jaguars ran away with the game at that point, going on a 21-4 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Grace only managed four points over the span of 8:31 of game time.
The Lady Lancers did their best to rally furiously over the final two minutes. Hostetler and Sugg scored five points apiece down the stretch, but it was too late to complete a comeback.
Sugg scored 21 points, and Hostetler added 16 points. Drake added 10 points, six boards and two steals, and Kaylie Warble tacked on six points and five rebounds.
The Lady Lancers remain at home on Tuesday, welcoming No. 9 Indiana Tech to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Women’s Soccer
WINONA LAKE – For the second time in three games, Grace’s women’s soccer team upset No. 15 Marian on Saturday.
In the first matchup 10 days prior, Grace won in overtime to secure its first Crossroads League championship in program history.
This time, No. 16 Grace won in regulation. The Lady Lancers (18-2) used a wondergoal from Anna Kuhl to down Marian in the semifinals of the CL Tournament.
Grace advanced to play for the CL Tournament crown on Nov. 10 at No. 3 Spring Arbor. The winner of the CL Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships.
The first half was evenly played; Grace had the majority share of possession, but each team shot 10 times.
The Knights (11-5-3) had an early push on offense, taking half of their first-half shots in the opening six minutes.
Sacia Hanson and Jenni Phillips each had a shot on goal saved in the first 12 minutes.
In the 20th minute, Cassidy Wasson tried a shot attempt that clipped off the goalpost, nearly putting the Lady Lancers ahead.
Kuhl’s winning moment came midway through the first half. Grace was fouled seven yards beyond the penalty box. Kuhl stepped up and buried her free kick just below the crossbar at the 26:31 mark for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Overall, Grace outshot Marian 6-1 over the final 25 minutes of the first half and the Lady Lancers went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Seven of Grace’s 10 shots before halftime were on goal, compared to three shots on goal for the Knights.
The Knights did their best to find an equalizer, firing off 13 shots over the final 45 minutes. But only four of those attempts were on goal.
Grace’s defensive front of McKenna Cruz, Kuhl, Aubrey Feipel and Liz Aalbue was strong to protect the Lady Lancers’ net.
Bethany Blackwood registered her program-record 16th shutout of the season, making seven saves to pick up the clean sheet. Her 16 shutouts currently lead the NAIA.
Joana Schimmel had five shots and three shots on goal to lead Grace, and Hanson and Kuhl each shot three times.
The Lady Lancers will be hoping for their first conference tournament championship with an upset of Spring Arbor. Grace is also aiming for a second-ever appearance at NAIA Nationals with either an automatic bid or as an at-large invitee.
Volleyball
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s volleyball team beat Taylor for the third time this season, trouncing the Trojans 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
The Lady Lancers, playing without their All-American setter Alexa Hill, were sparked by a strong performance by Gabbey Harrington and Lexy Oppenhuis.
Harrington, who filled in for Hill as Grace’s setter, nearly produced a triple-double while leading Grace’s attack. She finished with 37 assists, eight kills and nine digs. Her .571 hitting percentage led all players.
Oppenhuis added seven kills on 15 attempts, many of which lifted Grace in key moments.
The score was knotted 13-13 in the first set when Grace scored four straight, aided by an ace from Gina Novotny.
Taylor fought back and only trailed 23-21, but senior Marta Bleed ended the set with back-to-back kills in a 25-21 win.
The Trojans (17-17) seemed poised to even the match in the second set. Taylor scored seven unanswered points to claim a comfortable 13-5 lead.
The Lady Lancers (20-15) countered with a 12-4 run of their own to even the score at 17-17. Oppenhuis had three kills during Grace’s charge, and Harrington had back-to-back kills.
Taylor maintained a slight lead and pulled ahead 23-21, but Grace still had plenty of fight left.
The Lady Lancers stunned the Trojans with four straight points to take the set. Kelsee Zuidema and Makaela Lochmueller produced kills to give Grace the lead, and Oppenhuis ended the scoring at 25-23 with a kill.
The third and final set was tightly contested as well. Taylor led 19-17 late, but Grace went on a 6-1 run to steal momentum. Harrington had two more kills during that game-changing spurt.
Caylie Teel ended the match with a kill on the final swing of the evening, giving Grace a 25-23 win.
Teel led Grace with nine kills and added 15 digs, and Zuidema produced eight kills, 10 digs and 2 aces.
Overall, no player for Grace had double-digit kills, but six Lady Lancers recorded six or more kills in the three-set win.
The Lady Lancers had 48 kills on a .236 percentage compared to 44 kills on a .203 rate for the Trojans.
Lochmueller had seven kills at a .467 clip to go along with two block assists, Novotny led all players with 23 digs, and Bleed had six kills.
The Lady Lancers advance to the semifinals of the CL Tournament, playing at top-seeded Marian on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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Grace won its season-opening Lancer Tipoff Classic by virtue of Saturday’s victory in a matchup of teacher versus student. CCU head coach Greg Miller is a former Lancer All-American, playing under Grace’s NAIA Hall of Fame head coach Jim Kessler.
The Eagles (2-1) started the game sharply on offense. CCU scored on its first three possessions and quickly earned an 11-4 edge.
The Lancers (2-0) slowly battled back, sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Logan Godfrey — the first triples of the senior’s career.
Grace eventually erased the Eagles’ lead and took the lead on the last play of the half. David Holden found Godfrey for a bucket in the paint, putting Grace ahead 43-42 at halftime.
Godfrey was an offensive force in the half, pouring in 22 points to go along with eight boards.
Grace’s momentum to end the first half carried into the second half. Charlie Warner scored five quick points, and Haden Deaton added four more to increase the Lancers’ lead to seven.
The Eagles only needed a few minutes to erase Grace’s lead, tying the score at 60 and taking a 63-62 lead with 9:40 remaining.
Grace responded immediately, ripping off a 13-0 run to pull ahead. Warner, Deaton and Jaret Sons each hit a trey during Grace’s charge to put the Lancers on top 75-63 with 7:15 remaining.
The Eagles refused to panic, however, and cooly battled back into the game. CCU’s Blake Walsman, who finished with a game-high 34 points, tied the game when he converted an and-1 in the final minute of regulation.
Each team had chances to win the game, but neither squad could find a game winner in the waning seconds.
In the overtime period, Grace made multiple key shots to hold off the Eagles.
Sons hit a pair of triples in a two-minute span, each time to put Grace on top. His last triple with 1:55 gave the Lancers a 93-90 edge.
CCU countered with a three-pointer on the next possession to tie the score, but Deaton answered with a trey of his own to make the score 96-93 with 31 seconds to play.
CCU was unable to score on its next possession, and Godfrey iced the win with a free throw.
Godfrey enjoyed a dominant game, pouring in 32 points and adding 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Deaton ripped chipped in with 22 points, five assists and two steals, and Warner added 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Sons had a well-rounded night with 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Braxton Linville added seven assists and five boards.
Grace held a plus-12 advantage in rebounding (44-32) and had 13 more assists (23-10) than the Eagles.
The Lancers hit the road for their first away game on Tuesday, playing at Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
WINONA LAKE – A strong first half of action unraveled for Grace's women's basketball team on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers led by 11 points at halftime, but Governors State rallied to steal a 65-61 victory in Grace's home opener.
Grace struggled to keep up with the size of the Jaguars, losing the rebounding battle by 42-28.
In the first half, Grace's defense held Governors State to just 21 points. The Jaguars shot 27 percent from the floor before halftime.
Kamryn Hostetler gave Grace a spark in the first quarter. The freshman scored seven points in a few minutes to put the Lady Lancers ahead.
In the second quarter, Grace used a 12-2 spurt to jump on top by 13. Brooke Sugg scored five points during that spree, and Vironnica Drake added four more.
The Lady Lancers led 32-21 at halftime after shooting 46 percent from the floor.
Grace's lead evaporated in the third quarter. Governors State erupted for 23 points in the third stanza – more than their total output from the first half.
The Jaguars opened the second half by scoring 11 straight points to tie the contest.
Hostetler and Sugg helped Grace recover, combining for nine points in a two-minute span. But Grace's five-point cushion did not last long.
The Jaguars ran away with the game at that point, going on a 21-4 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Grace only managed four points over the span of 8:31 of game time.
The Lady Lancers did their best to rally furiously over the final two minutes. Hostetler and Sugg scored five points apiece down the stretch, but it was too late to complete a comeback.
Sugg scored 21 points, and Hostetler added 16 points. Drake added 10 points, six boards and two steals, and Kaylie Warble tacked on six points and five rebounds.
The Lady Lancers remain at home on Tuesday, welcoming No. 9 Indiana Tech to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Women’s Soccer
WINONA LAKE – For the second time in three games, Grace’s women’s soccer team upset No. 15 Marian on Saturday.
In the first matchup 10 days prior, Grace won in overtime to secure its first Crossroads League championship in program history.
This time, No. 16 Grace won in regulation. The Lady Lancers (18-2) used a wondergoal from Anna Kuhl to down Marian in the semifinals of the CL Tournament.
Grace advanced to play for the CL Tournament crown on Nov. 10 at No. 3 Spring Arbor. The winner of the CL Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships.
The first half was evenly played; Grace had the majority share of possession, but each team shot 10 times.
The Knights (11-5-3) had an early push on offense, taking half of their first-half shots in the opening six minutes.
Sacia Hanson and Jenni Phillips each had a shot on goal saved in the first 12 minutes.
In the 20th minute, Cassidy Wasson tried a shot attempt that clipped off the goalpost, nearly putting the Lady Lancers ahead.
Kuhl’s winning moment came midway through the first half. Grace was fouled seven yards beyond the penalty box. Kuhl stepped up and buried her free kick just below the crossbar at the 26:31 mark for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Overall, Grace outshot Marian 6-1 over the final 25 minutes of the first half and the Lady Lancers went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Seven of Grace’s 10 shots before halftime were on goal, compared to three shots on goal for the Knights.
The Knights did their best to find an equalizer, firing off 13 shots over the final 45 minutes. But only four of those attempts were on goal.
Grace’s defensive front of McKenna Cruz, Kuhl, Aubrey Feipel and Liz Aalbue was strong to protect the Lady Lancers’ net.
Bethany Blackwood registered her program-record 16th shutout of the season, making seven saves to pick up the clean sheet. Her 16 shutouts currently lead the NAIA.
Joana Schimmel had five shots and three shots on goal to lead Grace, and Hanson and Kuhl each shot three times.
The Lady Lancers will be hoping for their first conference tournament championship with an upset of Spring Arbor. Grace is also aiming for a second-ever appearance at NAIA Nationals with either an automatic bid or as an at-large invitee.
Volleyball
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s volleyball team beat Taylor for the third time this season, trouncing the Trojans 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
The Lady Lancers, playing without their All-American setter Alexa Hill, were sparked by a strong performance by Gabbey Harrington and Lexy Oppenhuis.
Harrington, who filled in for Hill as Grace’s setter, nearly produced a triple-double while leading Grace’s attack. She finished with 37 assists, eight kills and nine digs. Her .571 hitting percentage led all players.
Oppenhuis added seven kills on 15 attempts, many of which lifted Grace in key moments.
The score was knotted 13-13 in the first set when Grace scored four straight, aided by an ace from Gina Novotny.
Taylor fought back and only trailed 23-21, but senior Marta Bleed ended the set with back-to-back kills in a 25-21 win.
The Trojans (17-17) seemed poised to even the match in the second set. Taylor scored seven unanswered points to claim a comfortable 13-5 lead.
The Lady Lancers (20-15) countered with a 12-4 run of their own to even the score at 17-17. Oppenhuis had three kills during Grace’s charge, and Harrington had back-to-back kills.
Taylor maintained a slight lead and pulled ahead 23-21, but Grace still had plenty of fight left.
The Lady Lancers stunned the Trojans with four straight points to take the set. Kelsee Zuidema and Makaela Lochmueller produced kills to give Grace the lead, and Oppenhuis ended the scoring at 25-23 with a kill.
The third and final set was tightly contested as well. Taylor led 19-17 late, but Grace went on a 6-1 run to steal momentum. Harrington had two more kills during that game-changing spurt.
Caylie Teel ended the match with a kill on the final swing of the evening, giving Grace a 25-23 win.
Teel led Grace with nine kills and added 15 digs, and Zuidema produced eight kills, 10 digs and 2 aces.
Overall, no player for Grace had double-digit kills, but six Lady Lancers recorded six or more kills in the three-set win.
The Lady Lancers had 48 kills on a .236 percentage compared to 44 kills on a .203 rate for the Trojans.
Lochmueller had seven kills at a .467 clip to go along with two block assists, Novotny led all players with 23 digs, and Bleed had six kills.
The Lady Lancers advance to the semifinals of the CL Tournament, playing at top-seeded Marian on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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