Grace Secures Three-Peat of Crossroads League Title

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team never trailed in a hard-fought 84-80 win over St. Francis on Wednesday.

With the win, Grace locked up its third straight Crossroads League regular season championship. 

The No. 6 Lancers (22-5, 14-3 CL) secure the league's first automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship as well as home-court advantage throughout the Crossroads League Tournament.

Wednesday's contest saw Grace outduel the feisty Cougars, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25.

Of the 40 minutes in the game, the score was tied for 45 seconds, and Grace led for the remaining 39:15.

Grace began the game with an explosion of offense. The Lancers made their first six shots, including five 3-pointers from four different players.

A layup from Ian Raasch put the Lancers ahead 19-9 after five minutes of action.

Two 3-pointers from Justin DeGraaf kept the Lancers rolling, and a putback layup from Hunter Walston put Grace ahead by 11 with 6:51 left in the half.

But the Lancers' offense went quiet over the next three minutes, allowing the Cougars to claw back within two.

Ian Scott helped Grace maintain the lead, scoring six points over the final 2:35 of the half. Grace went into halftime on top 45-39. 

The Lancers shot the ball well in the half, including 55 percent from the floor and 57 percent on 3-pointers, but Grace's 10 turnovers hurt its cause.

The teams traded baskets to open up the second half. The Cougars twice trimmed Grace's lead down to two, but the Lancers found timely jump shots to stop any runs from USF.

At the midway mark of the half, Grace employed a 17-5 run to surge in front. Raasch had five points in a row during the run, helping Grace grab a commanding 69-55 lead with 9:21 left on the clock.

The Cougars gradually chipped away at Grace's cushion. The Lancers were held without a field goal for nearly four minutes, allowing USF to make a desperate late rally.

USF rallied to within 75-73 with two minutes to play, but Scott answered with a contested layup.

On the next play, the Cougars drilled a 3-pointer to pull within one. But Brett Sickafoose responded with a triple of his own, pushing the Lancers' lead back to four with 52 seconds remaining.

Sickafoose hit two more free throws on Grace's next possession, and Raasch effectively ended the game with a layup in the final seconds to help the Lancers win by four.

Scott amassed 22 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks, all while drawing seven fouls. Sickafoose hit four 3-pointers for his 18 points, adding two assists without a turnover.

Raasch tallied 12 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, and Gage Sefton finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Brycen Graber had 6 points, 6 assists and 4 boards, Walston notched 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block, DeGraaf scored eight, and Carter Stoltzfus produced 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

The Lancers finished the game by shooting 54 percent from the floor and 48 percent on 3s.

Grace will end the regular season at Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The CL Tournament begins on Tuesday, where Grace will host the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. If Grace progresses, the Lancers will continue to host through the semifinals (Feb. 28) and championship (March 3).

Grace has now qualified for the NAIA tournament for four straight years — the first-such accomplishment in program history.