WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace’s men’s basketball team never trailed in a hard-fought 84-80 win over St. Francis on Wednesday.
With the win, Grace locked up its third straight Crossroads League regular season championship.
The No. 6 Lancers (22-5, 14-3 CL) secured the league’s first automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship as well as home-court advantage throughout the Crossroads League Tournament.
Wednesday’s contest saw Grace outduel the feisty Cougars, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25.
Of the 40 minutes in the game, the score was tied for 45 seconds, and Grace led for the remaining 39:15.
Grace began the game with an explosion of offense. The Lancers made their first six shots, including five 3-pointers from four different players.
A layup from Ian Raasch put the Lancers ahead 19-9 after five minutes of action.
Two 3-pointers from Justin DeGraaf kept the Lancers rolling, and a putback layup from Hunter Walston put Grace ahead by 11 with 6:51 left in the half.
But the Lancers’ offense went quiet over the next three minutes, allowing the Cougars to claw back within two.
Ian Scott helped Grace maintain the lead, scoring six points over the final 2:35 of the half. Grace went into halftime on top 45-39.
The Lancers shot the ball well in the half, including 55 percent from the floor and 57 percent on 3-pointers, but Grace’s 10 turnovers hurt its cause.
The teams traded baskets to open up the second half. The Cougars twice trimmed Grace’s lead down to two, but the Lancers found timely jump shots to stop any runs from USF.
At the midway mark of the half, Grace employed a 17-5 run to surge in front. Raasch had five points in a row during the run, helping Grace grab a commanding 69-55 lead with 9:21 left on the clock.
The Cougars gradually chipped away at Grace’s cushion. The Lancers were held without a field goal for nearly four minutes, allowing USF to make a desperate late rally.
USF rallied to within 75-73 with two minutes to play, but Scott answered with a contested layup.
On the next play, the Cougars drilled a 3-pointer to pull within one. But Brett Sickafoose responded with a triple of his own, pushing the Lancers’ lead back to four with 52 seconds remaining.
Sickafoose hit two more free throws on Grace’s next possession, and Raasch effectively ended the game with a layup in the final seconds to help the Lancers win by four.
Scott amassed 22 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks, all while drawing seven fouls. Sickafoose hit four 3-pointers for his 18 points, adding two assists without a turnover.
Raasch tallied 12 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, and Gage Sefton finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Brycen Graber had 6 points, 6 assists and 4 boards, Walston notched 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block, DeGraaf scored eight, and Carter Stoltzfus produced 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
The Lancers finished the game by shooting 54 percent from the floor and 48 percent on 3s.
Grace will end the regular season at Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The CL Tournament begins on Tuesday, where Grace will host the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. If Grace progresses, the Lancers will continue to host through the semifinals (Feb. 28) and championship (March 3).
Grace has now qualified for the NAIA tournament for four straight years — the first-such accomplishment in program history.

Grace Comes Up Short Vs No. 9 Cougars
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The Grace women’s basketball team fell 77-53 to No. 9 St. Francis on Wednesday night.
The Lancers, reduced to five scholarship players because of injuries, battled bravely against the Cougars. Those five players each saw at least 35 minutes of game time against the ranked Cougar squad.
The Lancers struggled to connect from the floor, shooting 28 percent in the loss.
Grace fell into an early 10-0 hole against St. Francis as the Lancers were unable to find the mark with their shooting.
Grace did take care of the ball with just one turnover in the first quarter, but Grace’s shooting woes allowed USF to remain in front.
Bekah Marshall helped spark Grace’s offense with five quick points, and the Lancers kept within striking distance 21-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Grace shot 5 of 17 (29 percent) from the floor, while the Cougars made half of their attempts.
Grace’s shooting touch was still missing in the second period. The Lancers made only two of their 13 shot attempts (15 percent).
The Cougars took advantage and pulled ahead 41-23 at halftime.
Kensie Ryman and Marshall led Grace with six points at the intermission. The Cougars shot 52 percent compared to Grace’s 23 percent.
Grace had its most efficient offensive quarter in the third stanza. Marshall was a catalyst, amassing 10 points in the quarter with two 3-pointers.
The Lancers demonstrated their resilience by winning the fourth quarter. Grace still did not shoot particularly well (25 percent), but the Lancers made seven free throws in the period in a gritty performance.
Marshall led Grace with 16 points to go along with five rebounds. Morganne Houk scored 10 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds.
Peyton Murphy was relentless with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Additionally, she was fouled 10 times.
Maddy Poynter finished the game with eight points and three assists, and Ryman tallied six points and nine boards.
Wednesday night was also Senior Night to honor the graduating trio of Ryman, Murphy and Kate Rulli. Rulli, who missed the year due to injury, was recognized before the game as an honorary sixth starter.
The Lancers will end the year on the road, playing at Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the team’s season finale.