WINONA LAKE - Basketball fans with a faint heart may not want to watch Grace College's men's team.
The Lancers have had a flair for the dramatic this season, and their semifinal game against Cornerstone University Friday evening in the Terry Polston Hoops For Hope Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund Tournament was no different."They're cardiac kids," Kessler said of his players, who beat the NAIA Division II No. 11 Golden Eagles 74-73 at the Orthopaedic Capital Center. "If you've got a faint heart, you may not want to watch us play. We're never really out of a game, but it's never in the bag either."
Five of Grace's last six games have been decided by six points or less.
One of those games was a double overtime win. Another was a last-second win in regulation. There was a last-second loss.
And then there was Friday's one-point win, a game that already had plenty of story lines.
There was an emotional video of the late Polston, a long-time D.A.R.E Officer and beloved member of the community, shown before Grace's game.
Kessler, now in his 33rd season as the Lancers' head coach, had a chance at his 600th career win.
It all added up to a more-than-exciting evening at the OCC.
"OP (Officer Polston) was our first cancer survivor speaker," said Kessler, whose team improved to 8-3 this season. "He encouraged people that you can overcome things. Even when things aren't going your way, you have to stay positive."
Those that were close to him say that's how Polston lived his life, and it's the way the Lancers pulled out the victory Friday.
They found a way to overcome when they needed to.
After leading by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Lancers used a three-pointer from freshman Elliot Smith and two free throws each from senior Kyle Plumlee and sophomore Duke Johnson to pull out the win.
Smith's three-pointer gave Grace a 70-69 advantage with 1:43 to play in the game, but Cornerstone junior Bryan Pasciak's bucket gave the lead back to the Golden Eagles.
Plumlee put the Lancers back on top, 72-71, with a pair of charity tosses with 1:01 to play.
Senior Matt Kingshott scored in the paint to give Cornerstone another one-point lead with 40 seconds remaining.
And then Johnson scored the game's final two points from the free throw line with 26 seconds to play.
The Golden Eagles, who called a full timeout with 22 seconds left, had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but a missed field goal attempt was rebounded by Smith, and moments later Kessler's family held up a sign congratulating him on his 600th career win.
"We practice game-endinging situations every day in practice for 10 minutes," said Kessler. "It's nice to have people step up and make things happen. Winning 600 games is a testament to the charcater of the young men I've coached over the years."
Senior David Swanson led Grace with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith chipped in with 13 points and Johnson contributed 12 points and seven rebounds.
Freshmen Daniel Goins and Tannan Peters scored 10 points each for the Lancers, who made good on 26 of 29 free throw attempts in the win, including a 14-of-16 effort at the line in the second half.
Pasciak led Cornerstone with a game-high 20 points, while senior Corbin Donaldson scored 16 points, junior Caleb Simons finished with 11 points and Kingshott chipped in with 10 points.
The Golden Eagles, who made 14 of 19 free throws in the loss and trailed 42-31 at halftime, fell to 8-4 on the season.
Robert Morris College beat Columbia College 81-58 in Friday's first semifinal game.
The consolation contest between Columbia and Cornerstone is scheduled for 1 p.m. today, followed by Grace and Robert Morris in the championship game at approximately 3 p.m.
