HUNTINGTON – In a battle of Crossroads League men’s basketball teams looking to halt losing streaks, the smallest guy on the floor turned in the biggest performance Tuesday night. Huntington University point guard Mike Bush, listed on the roster as 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, was 9 of 9 from the field overall and 2 of 2 from three-point range en route to a 20-point performance that also included 15 assists. Bush’s incredible performance led the Foresters to a convincing 99-70 victory over the visiting Grace College Lancers. Huntington, which snapped a four-game skid, improved to 7-5 overall and 1-3 in the league standings, while Grace fell to 8-5 and 0-4 with its fourth straight loss. “Their point guard just shredded us,” Grace College coach Jim Kessler said of Bush, a former South Bend Adams High School star who went to Lake Michigan College before transferring to Huntington this year. “Gosh, he had a perfect night. He didn’t miss a shot. He had 15 assists. He had two steals. That’s an incredible performance. We didn’t have an answer for him.” As a team, the Foresters were 41 of 66 (62 percent) from the field overall, 13 of 19 from the arc, and 4 of 4 at the free throw line. Bush had six points and eight assists in the first half, leading his team to a 51-34 lead at the break. “He’s just a really special player, a special kid,” Huntington coach Ty Platt said of Bush. “He’s come in as a junior college transfer to us and really taken on a leadership role for our team. He sees the floor extremely well, and he’s able to get everybody involved. He’s also able to score, which makes him a two-fold kind of point guard. “It was a good night for us, I mean, we were clicking. We played really well, and some nights you’re gonna have that. We know we have to play Grace again at their place, and they might beat us just as bad. That’s how it is in this league.” Devon Merder scored 17 points for the Foresters, while Tyler Arens and Daniel Woll chipped in with 14 each, and Austin Karazsia and Konner Platt finished with 13 and 12, respectively. While the Foresters enjoyed a great shooting night, the Lancers were as cold as the air outside Platt Arena. Grace finished the contest 24 of 57 overall and 6 of 16 from three-point range, though the Lancers did make 16 of 18 free throw attempts. “This is the third time in our four conference games that we’ve been down 10 points at the first media timeout,” said Kessler. “We were (emotionally) high for the Bethel game (Saturday), and I think we were just as low tonight. We just lacked energy, and you can’t play this game without energy and passion.” Tre Olive led Grace with 14 points, while Logan Godfrey scored 13 points, and Erik Bowen and Chad Hoffer tallied 12 each. Defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan is atop the league standings with a 4-0 record, followed by No. 1 St. Francis and No. 12 Taylor University at 3-1. Grace and Marian University are the only teams in the 10-school conference who are still winless in the league standings. “We’ve got to battle our way out of it,” said Kessler. “You’ve got to start with consistent defense, move the basketball offensively, and believe in each other when there’s a tendency to do it yourself.” The Lancers are in action again Dec. 15 at Indiana Tech.
