POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – After losing in the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament, the Grace College Lancers, said veteran coach Jim Kessler, have had time catch their breath and refocus. With renewed energy, the Lancers now set their sites on Branson, Mo., and the 24th annual NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championships. The 32-team, single-elimination tournament is again being played at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks. Action is scheduled to get underway Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. when Union College (Kent.) battles University of Northwestern Ohio. The Lancers, who made it to the national semifinals in 2013, take a 21-10 record into Thursday’s 10:15 a.m. CT contest with the Bellevue University Bruins (28-5). “With our body of work, we believe we earned a right to be in Branson,” Kessler said in a phone interview Monday afternoon as the team was on the road. “We want to prove we belong. We’ve done well in the national tournament over the years, our league has done well, and we hope that continues.” The Lancers are making their eighth overall appearance in the tournament and sixth in the past eight years. Grace was among the final eight teams in both 2008 and 2009, and among the final four teams in 2013. “Our league prepares us for this tournament, there’s no question,” said Kessler. “Every game is a battle in our league. There’s teams in our league that finished in the bottom half of the standings that could win games in the national tournament.” The Lancers, ranked 24th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll, finished fourth in the Crossroads League regular season standings with an 11-7 record and received an at-large bid to the national tournament. “We got a gift, the at-large bid,” said Kessler. “But when you look at our league and the respect it gets, and when you look at our body of work, we believe we earned the right to be in the tournament.” According to masseyratings.com the Crossroads League is by far the toughest conference in the country in NAIA Division II. Other Crossroads League teams in this week’s national tournament include defending national champion and top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, ninth-ranked St. Francis (2010 national champion) and 10th-ranked Bethel (three-time national champion). Junior Logan Irwin leads Grace’s balanced offensive attack, averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game. Senior Niko Read and junior Brandon Vanderhegghen score nearly 12 and 11 points per game, respectively, while 6-foot-11 senior Dennis Williams makes 64 percent of his attempts and averages 10 points and six boards. Williams, who scored a career-high 26 points in a five-point loss at No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, could be a matchup problem for the Bruins Thursday morning. The Lancers can also bring 7-1 senior Adrian Makolli off the bench. At 6-7, senior Dimitri Chonis is the tallest player on Bellevue’s roster. He averages seven points and four rebounds per game. “They’re not a big team, but they’re quick,” Kessler said of the Bruins. “Their bigs are about 6-6, but they love to get to the basket. They also have a couple guys who 90 percent of their shots are threes.” The Bruins average 22 attempts from the arc per game. They average eight made three-pointers per game. Senior Percy Lemle and junior Taylor Young lead the Bruins in scoring at 16 points per game, while Alex Worthen-Harris and Thomas Hammok chip in with 11 and nine points, respectively. Bellevue averages 80 points per game and gives up an average of 72. The Lancers score 70 points per game and give up 64. “We’re not going to sneak up on any teams,” said Kessler. “There’s a lot of respect for our league. We just need to play ‘we ball’ and play our style. Confidence is a big thing, and we’re confident in our defense.” The Bruins are making their 13th consecutive appearance in the national tournament. In the previous 12 seasons, they lost in the first round just once (2006). This season’s Bellevue team received an automatic bid to the tournament for winning the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. The MCAC has two teams in the tournament, as College of the Ozarks got an automatic bid as the host school. Ozarks, however, is 25-6. No other team in the MCAC has a winning record this season. According to masseyratings.com the MCAC is the eighth-ranked conference in NAIA Division II, while the Crossroads League is No. 1. According to masseyratings.com the Lancers’ strength of schedule is the eighth-toughest in the country, while Bellevue’s is 66th. With a win Thursday, the Lancers would play either Midland or Southern Oregon in Friday’s second round at 1:45 p.m. CT.
