Lancers win second straight against Mount Vernon
Grace’s men’s basketball team won its second straight Crossroads League game Tuesday night when they faced Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Grace put on a strong showing in front of its home crowd. The Lancers gained the lead from the opening tipoff and there was no slowing down as Grace held on for an 89-73 win.
The Lancers took control early in the game and never looked back. Grace never trailed in the game due to its offense running at peak efficiency.
A relentless attack by the Lancers quickly got the Cougars in foul trouble. Grace was in the bonus less than halfway through the first half. Constant trips to the free throw line, helped the Lancers build their lead. At the end of the half, Grace tallied 21 free throw attempts, knocking down 16.
A basket by Haden Deaton, followed by a 3-pointer from Charlie Warner sparked a 9-0 run for the Lancers. This gave Grace a 29-17 lead with four minutes remaining in the half.
Mount Vernon Nazarene was able to fight its way back within double digits before the end of the half. A last-second layup by Jeremiah Roberts made the score 38-30 going into halftime.
Deaton led the Lancers with eight points and four rebounds in the first half. Grace shot a scorching 57 percent from beyond the 3-point line while holding the Cougars to 1-6 from behind the arc. Mount Vernon Nazarene benefitted from 20 points in the paint during the half.
Both teams traded baskets to begin the second half. This time it was Mount Vernon Nazarene who was getting to the free throw line often. The Cougars found themselves in the bonus early in the half which kept them in striking distance.
Grace turned up the intensity to try to put the game out of reach. Another 9-0 run with five points coming from Warner gave the Lancers a 71-51 lead with 7:30 to go in the game.
The Cougars immediately clawed their way back with a run of their own to cut the deficit down to 10 with 4:06 remaining. Grace was forced to ice the game at the charity stripe with its last 11 points coming from the free throw line. Mount Vernon Nazarene was unable to mount a comeback. The Lancers walked away with an 89-73 victory.
Grace had four different players score in double digits. Warner led the way with 17 points while Deaton finished with 16. Not to be outdone, Logan Godfrey tallied 15 points, and Matt Jennings added 14 points to the cause. The Lancers won the battle of the boards 37-23.
Mount Vernon Nazarene got 25 points out of freshman Jevon Knox.
The Lancers ended the game shooting 50 percent from 3-point land, 56 percent from the field and shooting 39-47 from the charity stripe.
Grace will try to keep its streak going when they take on Goshen at home in the second part of a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader. The game takes place Saturday at 3 p.m.