WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The postseason began in ideal fashion for Grace’s men’s basketball team on Wednesday.
The NAIA No. 1-ranked Lancers (28-1) powered past Taylor by the score of 75-58 in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
As the top seed in the field, Grace will continue to host in the tourney. Grace will host No. 22 Marian in the semifinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. Marian is the hottest team in the conference; they will enter Saturday’s game on a nine-game winning streak.
Wednesday’s quarterfinals saw Grace’s defense dominate the quarterfinal clash. The Lancers held Taylor to 39-percent shooting for the game.
Jakob Gibbs scored on the opening two possessions for Grace to begin the game.
While Grace’s offense was quiet over the next few minutes, the home team’s defense was in peak form.
Taylor was held to two points over the first 5:48 of the contest. As a result, the Lancers pulled ahead 11-2 on a layup from Cade Gibbs.
Grace led 17-7 midway through the half, and the Trojans (10-19) called timeout in an attempt to slow Grace’s momentum.
The Lancers ended the half on another flurry. Three-pointers from Brett Sickafoose, Brycen Graber and Elijah Malone kept the Lancers on a roll, and Grace strolled into halftime with a 36-19 lead.
Defensively, Grace held Taylor to 29 percent shooting with five turnovers. Offensively, Grace shot 48 percent. The Lancers had 18 paint points, nearly topping Taylor’s total point output of the half.
Jakob Gibbs scored 10 in the first half. Nine players registered a point for Grace in the half.
A pair of early and-1s in the second half (from Malone and J. Gibbs) kept Grace’s offense humming.
Ian Scott fed Jake Wadding for a layup, pushing Grace’s cushion to 50-29 with 14:37 remaining.
The Lancers’ lead was comfortable throughout the middle portions of the half. The Trojans came no closer than 16 points until the final buzzer.
Jakob Gibbs and Scott combined for eight straight points, helping the Lancers move ahead 71-47 with 5:30 left in the game.
The Trojans did not have an answer and had their season end in the quarterfinals.
Jakob Gibbs had scoring honors with 19 points, shooting 9 of 13 from the floor. Malone finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.
Scott had 8 points, 8 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks in a productive outing.
Graber hit a pair of 3s for his eight points, and Cade Gibbs, Wadding and Sickafoose each scored six.
Ian Raasch tallied 4 points, 6 boards and 2 steals, and Carter Stoltzfus had two points and three assists.
The Lancers and Knights are set to meet in the conference tournament for the third straight season. Grace won both of those games by a combined seven points, including an overtime win last year in the semifinals.

Grace Earns NAIA Host Bid For First And Second Rounds
WINONA LAKE - For the second straight season, Grace College was announced as a host site for the NAIA First and Second Rounds for men’s basketball.
The Lancers will welcome three other teams to the Winona Lake Bracket on March 15-16. The Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center will host a pair of NAIA First Round games on March 15, beginning with Grace’s game at 6 p.m. The winner of the two games will play in the NAIA Second Round on March 16 at 6 p.m.
The winner of the Winona Lake Bracket will earn a spot to the NAIA’s final site in Kansas City, Mo.
The NAIA will announce the complete field and bracket on March 7, which will reveal the teams coming to Winona Lake.
Grace has now hosted back-to-back years as part of the NAIA National Championships for men’s basketball. It marks the first two times that Grace has hosted part of the NAIA’s championship tournament.
"We are extremely honored and humbled to be selected as an NAIA host site. We look forward to showcasing the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center and our community in Kosciusko County," said Grace Director of Athletics Chad Briscoe. "We are excited to welcome the selected three teams and their fans to our campus and look forward to creating a first-class environment for the tournament."
The Lancers are ranked No. 1 in the NAIA. They boast a 28-1 record and clinched back-to-back Crossroads League regular season championships.
Grace is in the midst of hosting the Crossroads League Tournament as well. The Lancers will host No. 22 Marian on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the semifinals. With a win, Grace would host the tournament championship game on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
To purchase tickets to Grace’s postseason games, visit www.gclancers.com/tickets. To watch the livestream of the games, visit www.gclancers.com/live.