Lancers win nailbiter over Huntington
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Tuesday’s game between Grace’s men’s basketball team and Huntington was filled with highs and lows.
When the dust had settled, the Lancers made a defensive stop on the final play to beat the Foresters 77-75 at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Four players for the Lancers (14-15, 4-13 Crossroads League) scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Logan Godfrey.
The first half was a game of runs. The Lancers could not have started better, opening up a commanding lead midway into the half.
Charlie Warner had nine points during Grace’s opening spurt, and Godfrey scored six more. When Jaret Sons scored with 10:48 remaining, Grace owned a 26-12 advantage.
But the Foresters (16-13, 6-11 CL) calmly responded. Huntington went on a momentum-shattering 18-2 run over the next six minutes.
Grace hurt its cause tremendously with turnovers. Half of Huntington’s points (9) during the 18-2 run came after turnovers by the Lancers.
Huntington rode that momentum into a 39-33 lead at halftime. Both teams shot at least 52 percent overall, but the Foresters hit 46 percent from beyond the arc compared to 27 percent for Grace.
The Foresters continued to look good at the start of the second half and tried to pull away early. Huntington buried a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes, resulting in a 14-point cushion with 14:39 left in the game.
But a well-placed timeout helped Grace recover. The Lancers leaned on their top two scorers all year — Godfrey and Haden Deaton — to battle back.
Grace went on a 15-2 run, thanks to eight points from Godfrey and five from Deaton. Godfrey also threw down a thunderous tomahawk jam on a fastbreak to get the crowd on its feet.
With 8:59 remaining Warner nailed a triple to put Grace on top 61-60, the Lancers’ first lead since the 6:36 mark of the first half.
The game remained close and the score was still tied 68-68 with less than six minutes to play.
Grace’s defense then helped turn the tide in the Lancers’ favor. Huntington was held scoreless for nearly three minutes, and Grace scored five quick points to gain an edge.
With 2:17 on the clock, Warner drained a timely 3-pointer to hand the Lancers a 76-70 lead.
Huntington did not back down, however, making a 3-pointer and a quick layup to slash Grace’s lead down to one.
Braxton Linville then made 1-of-2 from the foul line, setting up a nervy finish. Huntington had the ball with 11 seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game. Tyce Frank and Eddie Gill IV then played suffocating defense to snuff out the Foresters’ set play, forcing a contested, buzzer beater which missed the mark.
Godfrey shot 9-of-13 from the floor for 20 points, adding eight boards and four assists. Deaton added 17 points, 4 boards and 3 assists.
Warner shot 6-of-8 from the floor, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the foul line for 17 points, and Linville tallied 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Frank produced two points and four assists, and Sons scored four.
Grace shot 55 percent overall as a team and held a plus-7 advantage in rebounding.
The Lancers end the regular season on Saturday at Taylor. The men’s game will start at 3 p.m., following the women.