WINONA LAKE – A matchup known for high-scoring offenses, Thursday night’s Crossroads League men’s basketball game between rivals Bethel College and Grace College didn’t disappoint. And in the end, Bethel just had too many weapons, as the No. 21 Pilots had six players score in double figures en route to a 98-88 win over the 12th-ranked Lancers at the Orthopaedic Capital Center. Jordan Bowerman led Bethel with 24 points, while Ryan Benner scored 20 and Matt Schauss chipped in with 16. Michael Mislan added 13 points, while Zach Miller and Drew Schauss finished with 12 and 10, respectively. “This was one of our poorest defensive efforts of the season,” said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. “They got layup after layup. We didn’t make adjustments defensively or offensively. Bethel is a good team, but you can’t give up 52 points in a half. We just didn’t bring it. It’s a mental thing. We made the same mistake over and over. We just didn’t adjust.” With the 10-point win, Bethel snapped a four-game losing streak to Grace. The Pilots extended their win streak to 11 and are now 16-3 overall this season and 7-0 in league play. The Lancers fell to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the Crossroads League. Prior to Thursday, Grace was 8-0 at the OCC this season. Bruce Grimm Jr. and Greg Miller got the Lancers off to a great start against Bethel, leading the Lancers to a 25-15 lead, but the Pilots turned the tide and led 46-43 at halftime. Bethel opened the second half with a 13-1 run and Grace got no closer than eight points the rest of the way. “I was proud of the way our guys hung in there in the first half,” said Bethel coach Mike Lightfoot. “We didn’t have an answer for Grimm or Miller early in the game. In the second half, we went back to our strengths and got Bowerman the ball.” The 6-foot-7 Bowerman finished the game 10 of 15 from the field. As a team, Bethel was 34 of 58 (59 percent) from the field, compared to Grace’s 31 of 73 (43 percent). “We didn’t work the ball for our best opportunities,” said Kessler. “We didn’t have patience, and we settled for less than our best options. Until we made a late run, we got lax and weren’t the aggressors.” The Lancers trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before a three-pointer by Miller trimmed the deficit to eight, 90-82, with 1:49 remaining. Miller led the Lancers with 28 points and eight rebounds, while Grimm finished with 23 points, five assists and three steals. Karl Columbus added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Elliot Smith and Niko Read scored nine points each. Grace is back in action Saturday in a 3 p.m. conference game at St. Francis. Bethel, which took a 60-59 lead over the Lancers in a series that dates back to 1960, hosts No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan Saturday. Playing four minutes Thursday night, freshman Jordyn Coon, a Warsaw Community High School product, had one point, one rebound and one assist for Bethel. “We really like Jordyn,” said Lightfoot. “He’s playing more and more as the season goes on. He won the game for us last week at St. Francis, scoring seven-straight points down the stretch. As he gets physically stronger, he’s going to play more. We’ve got big plans for Jordyn.”
BETHEL 98, GRACE 88 BC 46 52 – 98 GC 43 45 – 88 Bethel – Matt Schauss 3-8 10-12 16, Taylor Kolbus 0-2 0-0 0, Zach Miller 2-6 6-7 12, Jordan Bowerman 10-15 4-7 24, Ryan Benner 8-11 1-3 20, Jordyn Coon 0-0 1-2 1, Drew Schauss 5-8 0-0 10, Travis Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Brandon Gerber 1-1 0-0 2, Michael Mislan 5-7 3-6 13. Totals 34-58 25-37 98. Grace – Elliot Smith 3-10 0-0 9, Greg Miller 10-18 5-9 28, Karl Columbus 6-12 2-3 14, Jared Treadway 0-0 3-4 3, Bruce Grimm Jr. 8-23 6-6 23, Lee Ross 0-2 0-0 0, Niko Read 3-3 0-0 9, Caleb Featherston 1-2 0-0 2, Brandon Vanderhegghen 0-2 0-0 0, Kyle Fillman 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-73 16-22 88. Three-pointers – Bethel 5 (Benner 3, Miller 2), Grace 10 (Smith 3, Miller 3, Read 3, Grimm); Rebounds – Bethel 39 (Bowerman 8), Grace 32 (Columbus 9); Turnovers – Bethel 13, Grace 6; Fouls – Bethel, Grace 25; Fouled out – Columbus; Records: Bethel 16-3 (7-0 CL), Grace 13-5 (5-2 CL)
