WINONA LAKE – Duke Johnson's performance Saturday was as big as his stature. The 6-foot-11 Grace College senior hit 10 of 13 shots from the field and 3 of 4 free throw attempts en route to a 23-point performance that led the Lancers to an 82-73 win over Embry Riddle in the championship game of the KCCCF Hoops For Hope Tournament at the Orthopaedic Capital Center. A battle of NAIA Division II top 10 men's basketball teams lived up to the hype, as they battled back and forth in the second half before the ninth-ranked Lancers pulled away from the No. 8 Eagles. "Duke wanted the ball," said Grace coach Jim Kessler. "He had that aura about him, he wanted the ball. Embry Riddle didn't match up well with two 6-11 guys. Who would?" Sophomore Dennis Williams, another 6-11 force in the paint for the Lancers, made 3 of 5 attempts from the field and finished with seven points and eight rebounds. In all, Johnson, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and Williams were 13 of 18 from the field, scoring 30 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. The Lancers outrebouned the Eagles 36-22. "We outrebounded them, that was huge," said Kessler. "And I couldn't have been more pleased with our patience. When we do things together, and we're patient, we're a good team." Grace, which improved to 4-0 on the season, was 14 of 23 from the field in the second half and 28 of 51 overall. The Eagles were 15 of 31 in the second half and 29 of 58 overall, as they fell to 2-1 on the season. "Embry Riddle is gonna get better and better," said Kessler. "They're a young team." The Lancers led 38-33 at the half, with their biggest advantage in the first 20 minutes a 26-18 lead. The Eagles tied the game at 53-53 when Blake Touchard scored with 11:53 remaining. They took the lead a minute later when Ray Graham scored. Over the next five minutes, the teams traded buckets, and Embry Riddle led 62-61 when Graham put down a thunderous dunk and converted the old-fashioned three-point play after being fouled. It was the last lead the Eagles held, as Grace went on a 15-3 run – the first 10 points coming from Johnson and senior Jacob Peattie, and the final three on a trey from junior Elliot Smith. Smith's three-pointer gave Grace a 76-65 lead with 1:50 to play. "That three Elliot hit was huge," said Kessler. "Kid stepped up and hit a big shot." The Lancers only hit two treys Saturday, the other coming from junior Bruce Grimm Jr. early in the first half. Grimm finished the game with 18 points and eight assists and was named to the all-tournament team, while Peattie added 12 points and senior Dayton Merrell chipped in with 11 points. "This was a game of national significance," said Kessler. "I didn't build it up, but this was a big game." Graham led the Eagles with 25 points, while DeForest Carter chipped in with 12 points, while Jeremiah Applin and Touchard scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Grace will be in action again this weekend in the Mike Turner Tip-Off Tournament in Albion, Mich. The Lancers open play Friday at 6 p.m. with Akron-Wayne College. Grace's next home game is Nov. 29, when the Lancers welcome conference rival and second-ranked Indiana Wesleyan to the OCC.
GRACE 82, EMBRY RIDDLE 73 ER 33 40 – 73 G 38 44 – 82 Embry Riddle – Ray Graham 11-17 3-4 25, Sam Ford 3-6 0-2 6, Black Touchard 3-13 3-4 10, Jeremiah Applin 4-6 0-0 11, DeForest Carter 5-6 1-1 12, Brandon Serle 1-1 0-0 2, Jason Powell 1-5 0-0 2, Ben Redfield 0-0 2-2 2, Marko Zjacic 0-0 0-0 0, Billy Serle 1-4 0-1 3. Totals 29-58 9-14 73. Grace – Dayton Merrell 4-5 3-3 11, Dennis Williams 3-5 1-7 7, Duke Johnson 10-13 3-4 23, Jacob Peattie 5-6 2-2 12, Bruce Grimm Jr. 3-13 11-12 18, Lee Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Elliot Smith 1-3 2-4 5, Greg Miller 2-6 2-2 6, Tannan Peters 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-51 24-34 82. Three-point goals – Embry Riddle 6 (Applin 3, Touchard 1, Carter 1, Bi. Serle 1), Grace 2 (Grimm, Smith); Rebounds - Embry Riddle 22 (Ford 7), Grace 36 (Williams 8, Johnson 7, Miller 7); Turnovers – Embry Riddle 15, Grace 19; Records: Embry Riddle 2-1, Grace 4-0
