Lancer Men's Hoops Moves To 4-0, Trips Trinity International
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Grace Sports Information-
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Balanced offensive production led Grace's men's basketball team to an 86-71 win at Trinity International on Saturday. The Lancers (4-0) had five players score in double figures and another with nine points in an efficient performance. The Trojans (2-1) scored six of the game's first eight points, but Grace asserted control over the next minutes. The Lancers ripped off 21 points in a five-minute span, turning a four-point deficit into an 11-point lead at 23-12. Grace's cushion was never smaller than eight points for the duration of the contest. The Lancers maintained a comfortable lead in the opening period and went into halftime ahead 48-35. Grace ballooned its lead up to 18 points midway into the second half, eventually going ahead 77-57 with 7:36 to play. Josh Ruggles had the best game of his young career, leading Grace with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Erik Bowen had a double-double with 14 points and a game-best 10 boards. Brandon Vanderhegghen tallied 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Logan Irwin had 13 points and five assists, and Kyle Fillman added 12 points and seven boards. As a team the Lancers shot 45 percent from the floor and 41 percent on 3-pointers. Grace had 17 assists and nine turnovers as a team, and they outscored Trinity International 46-28 in the paint. The Lancers return home next weekend in the annual Terry Polston Hoops for Hope. Grace will host Great Lakes Christian on Friday night before the consolation/championship games on Saturday.
Cross Country Saturday in Huntington Katelyn McCullough made history at the 2015 Crossroads League Championships on Saturday, qualifying for the NAIA National Championships. McCullough finished fifth in the women’s race at 18:59 to earn All-League status and a place at NAIA Nationals. She becomes just the second women’s runner to reach NAIAs in program history, joining MariJean Wegert who qualified in 2008 and 2010. “Katelyn ran a PR on a fairly tough course in a league championship meet. That's all anyone needs to know to understand how great a race it was,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “She put herself in position during the first mile and then finished really well, passing a few people in the final mile.” McCullough’s finish helped Grace to a fifth-place showing in the race — the team’s highest since 2009. The men’s team ended eighth out of nine teams. For the Lady Lancers, freshman sisters Raven Arellano (20:35) and Ariel Arellano (20:36) crossed the finish line within one second of each other. Sarah Hoff was fourth for Grace in 21:30. Karla Singer was next in line with a time of 21:48, and Liz Fox followed her in 22:13. “Moving into the top half of the conference is a significant improvement after being eighth last year,” Raymond explained. “It also bodes well for the future with a young team.” On the men’s team, Tyler Houvener finished 32nd to pace Grace in a time of 27:34. Brandon Smith and Sam Hall were second and third in 28:19 and 28:23 respectively. Brendan Hamilton (28:54) and Joel Bertelsen (28:57) rounded out the top five for the Lancers. “I though our guys really battled. We've fought through a myriad of injuries and still are not anywhere near full strength. But everyone did what they could today, and I'm proud of the effort,” Raymond said. “Tyler [Houvener] is coming on late in the season and has set himself up to run some strong races once track gets started. With no seniors on this squad and three freshmen in the top six, we have great hopes for the future.” The Lancers will compete in the NCCAA Championships next Saturday at Houghton College in Houghton, N.Y.
Volleyball Saturday in Winona Lake Grace’s volleyball team swept its rivals from the North on Saturday, beating Bethel 3-0 in the opener of the Crossroads League Tournament. The Lady Lancers (19-16) made short work of the Pilots (18-18), winning 25-17, 25-16 and 25-17. Grace limited Bethel to just 20 kills in the three sets, and the Pilots hit .033 as a team. The tone was set in the first game as Grace won by eight points. The Lady Lancers pounded out 16 kills and limited the Pilots to six in the set. Kari Feddema and Kaitlin Kerrigan had four kills apiece in the opener. Grace cruised to a nine-point win in the second set and clinched the sweep with a 25-17 win in the third. Sierra Smith, who finished with a match-high 11 kills, ended the match with a kill. Bethel was held to five kills on 31 swings in the last set. Kerrigan just missed a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs. Feddema finished with 6 kills, 4 block assists and 1 solo block, and Sara Miller had a match-best 17 digs. Laken Chaney passed out 18 assists with seven digs, and Taylor Baird had 15 assists and three aces. Annie Salazar dug 14 times, and Kelsee Zuidema ended with seven kills on a .636 percentage. The Lady Lancers will travel to No. 1 seed Mt. Vernon Nazarene in the CL semifinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
