WINONA LAKE – Jim Kessler wasn't shocked by the strong play of his guards in Saturday's season-opening win over Wilberorce University. Grace College’s men's basketball coach expected that. What made him smile was the way his team rebounded the basketball, which was an area of concern going into this season as the Lancers don't have a tall, dominant player in the post like they have for so long. Despite no player on the roster taller than 6-foot-7, Grace outrebounded the Bulldogs 41-33, including a 15-5 advantage on the offensive glass. The Lancers' effort on the boards led them to a 76-67 win, though the final score wasn't indicative of how lopsided the game really was. Grace led by as many as 27 points in the second half before emptying the bench. “One of our goals was to beat them on the boards, and we did that,” said Kessler. “We had 15 offensive boards, I'm extremely pleased about that. We gang-rebounded, and that was one of the things we talked about.” Senior forward Caleb Featherston led Grace in rebounding with nine, including six on the offensive glass. Sophomore forward Erik Bowen grabbed seven rebounds, to go along with his nine points. “I was particularly pleased with Featherston's play,” said Kessler. “He made some great heart plays. He had nine rebounds, led us in rebounding. Those are the kind of things sometimes that change the complexion of the game. I thought Caleb played very well. He matched up on a good player a number of times. “Erik Bowen played good, solid minutes. He was man-mountain there for a while with boards, and I was pleased with Erik's play.” Standout guards Logan Irwin and Brandon Vanderheggehen wasted no time in showing why Kessler thinks his senior backcourt duo is going to be the strength of the team this year. Irwin, who opened the game with a nothing-but-net three-pointer, and Vanderhegghen scored 22 of the Lancers' first 29 points, with each scoring 11 during that stretch. Vanderhegghen finished with a game-high 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Irwin added 13 points, five assists and a steal. “They're good,” Kessler said of Irwin and Vanderhegghen. “You know, those two, they're just solid.” Freshman Josh Ruggles, whose three-point shooting allows the Lancers to spread teams out defensively, made four treys and scored 12 points in his collegiate debut. Senior Kyle Fillman scored eight points and grabbed five boards, while freshman Logan Godfrey and junior Tre Olive scored six and five points, respectively. Arthur Haggard III led Wilberforce with 12 points, while Patrick Mitchell finished with nine points, Shawn Best Jr. and Gerald Roseborough scored eight points each and Keenan Smith, Maxime Maisonnet and Latron Nelson chipped in with seven points each. The Lancers built a 17-point advantage at 44-27 in the first half before the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 12 at halftime, 46-34. Grace will be in action again Tuesday at Lawrence Tech, a school near Detroit, before hosting St. Xavier Friday at 7 p.m. Friday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
GRACE COLLEGE 76, WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY 67 WU 34 33 – 67 GC 46 30 – 76 Wilberforce – Arthur Haggard III 4-10 4-4 12, Shawn Best Jr. 3-6 0-0 8, Keenan Smith 3-6 0-0 7, Devontae Berry 3-7 0-0 6, Maxime Maisonnet 3-5 1-4 7, Patrick Mitchell 4-11 0-0 9, Darrion Riddle 0-0 0-0 0, Latron Nelson 2-7 3-4 7, Gerald Roseborough 3-6 0-0 8, Malik Breckenridge 0-1 0-0 0, Michael Forrest 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 26-61 9-14 67. Grace – Caleb Featherston 1-4 1-4 3, Kyle Fillman 3-7 2-2 8, Erik Bowen 3-4 3-3 9, Logan Irwin 5-8 0-1 13, Brandon Vanderhegghen 6-12 1-1 17, Josh Ruggles 4-11 0-2 12, John Swanson 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Halstead 0-5 0-0 0, Eric Miller 0-3 2-2 2, Tre Olive 1-1 3-3 5, Drew Perrin 0-0 1-4 1, Tim Swanson 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Godfrey 1-1 4-6 6, Chad Hoffer 0-2 0-0 0, Mike Warren 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 17-30 76. Three-pointers – Wilberforce 6 (Best 2, Roseborough 2, Smith, Mitchell), Grace 11 (Vanderhegghen 4, Ruggles 4, Irwin 3); Rebounds – Wilberforce 33 (Maisonnet 9), Grace 41 (Featherston 9); Turnovers – Wilberforce 12, Grace 13; Fouls – Wilberforce 23, Grace 18; Fouled out – none. Records: Wilberforce 0-2, Grace 1-0
