WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace’s men’s basketball team beat Marian in the Crossroads League Tournament for the third straight season on Saturday.
The No. 1 Lancers (29-1) beat No. 22 Marian handily by the score of 94-73. Grace had six players score in double figures in a typically balanced outing.
The semifinal win means Grace will host the tournament championship on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan. It’s the second straight year that Grace has hosted the finals.
The Lancers are two-time defending champs of the Crossroads League Tournament, having won in both 2022 and 2023.
Grace got off to a fast start in Saturday’s game. The Lancers scored eight of the first 10 points. Marian was forced to burn an early timeout less than four minutes into the contest.
On the next play, Jake Wadding made a steal and slam. Grace pushed its opening lead to 12-2 before Marian scored again.
A 3-pointer from Brycen Graber helped the Lancers maintain a double-digit cushion.
Elijah Malone picked up two early fouls, but Ian Scott provided a major boost of production off the bench. The junior erupted for nine points in 14 minutes. His layup gave Grace its largest lead of the half at 40-23 with 5:40 remaining.
But the Knights proved their mettle with a rally over the closing minutes. Marian ended the half on a 13-4 run.
The Lancers still held a 44-36 advantage at halftime. Grace shot 56 percent from the floor while holding Marian to 39 percent. Neither team shot the deep ball well, combining to shoot 7 of 24 from the 3-point line in the half.
Jake Wadding made all six of his field goals, finishing with a team-high 12 points in the opening half.
The Knights scored on their first two possessions of the second half, but Grace quickly turned to the interior.
The Lancers began to attack the paint, scoring with frequent success. Malone was dominant, scoring eight points in less than three minutes as Grace reopened a double-digit cushion.
Over the middle portions of the half, the Lancers seemed to score at will. Grace punished the smaller Knights with post touches and also scored quickly in transition.
A thunderous dunk from Malone pushed Grace’s lead even further with 9:27 to play. A minute later, Gage Sefton’s 3-pointer handed the Lancers a 73-55 advantage.
Grace’s lead hovered around 20 for the rest of the game as the Lancers strolled away for a 21-point win.
Grace shot an incredible 71 percent from the floor after halftime. The team had 23 assists and committed only nine turnovers in the game.
Wadding was a force; he shot 9 of 11 from the floor, finishing the game with 18 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds.
Malone scored all 16 of his points in the second half, shooting 7 of 8 overall and grabbing seven boards.
Cade Gibbs made 6 of 8 for his 13 points, and Jakob Gibbs notched 14 points, 4 boards and 2 steals.
Graber tallied 10 points and six assists, and Scott had 10 points, 5 boards, 2 assists and 1 block.
Sefton scored seven points off the bench, and Carter Stoltzfus and Ian Raasch each scored three.
Grace finished the contest making 63 percent of its field goals while holding Marian to 45 percent.

Lancers Tennis Upsets No. 12 Cumberland
LEBANON, Tenn. - Grace’s men’s tennis team came out on top during a marquee NAIA Top 25 battle on Saturday.
The No. 16 Lancers took down No. 12 Cumberland on the road, edging out a 4-3 victory in Tennessee.
The match was Grace’s first during its spring break trip. The Lancers will play in Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio during the week-long trip.
The Phoenix earned the better start to the day by sweeping the doubles’ point. Salva Pons and Manuel Marques had the closest battle at No. 2 doubles, but Cumberland still won 6-4.
The singles courts were a different story. Javi Gallego helped Grace quickly even the match with a straight-set win at the top singles court.
Pablo Gregori also won convincingly at No. 2 singles, and Salva Pons battled to a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory at No. 4.
Cumberland pulled out victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to put the match on the brink.
But Luis Cordoba won the final remaining court, earning a hard-fought 7-6 (6), 7-6 (1) win at No. 3 to clinch the upset win for Grace.
The Lancers will play five more matches next week, including three ranked matchups.