MEN’S BASKETBALL

The 3rd-seeded Forester men’s basketball team’s bid for a Crossroads League tournament championship wasn’t to be Monday night at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center as the top-seeded Grace Lancers cut down their own nets after topping their guests 80-72 in the CL title game. For GC, it’s their fourth straight CL tourney championship.

The evening lived up to its billing as it does every time these two clubs meet up. Both teams came in riding a win streak with HU having brought in four straight wins while the Lancers were boasting a five-game win streak.

Momentum swung back and forth as the two squads matched each other blow for blow throughout much of the contest. There were 13 lead changes and nine ties with HU holding a leading for just over two minutes longer than their hosts. But in the end, none of that mattered because it was Grace’s execution down the stretch that propelled them to the win.

Lane Sparks was HU’s go to guy and his traditional three-point play with just over six minutes remaining gave his team a 63-62 lead. Unfortunately, it served as Huntington’s last advantage of the night. Grace scored the next four points to secure what proved a permanent lead.

The Lancers milked their advantage after that which included going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final few minutes. Free throws played a major factor in the outcome with GC going 25-for-27 while the Foresters finished 14-for-22.

While Grace also shot the ball better than HU from the field, by over ten percent, the Foresters got the better end of the deal when it came to capitalizing on turnovers and second chance points. The combination of these two considerations resulted in 26 HU points compared to 17 Lancer points.

Sparks led Huntington in scoring and rebounding by pouring in a game-best 29 points while snagging a game-tying seven boards. He also collected four steals. Maximus Gizzi and Drew Goodline each added ten points with Gizzi also handing out a team-best three assists. Jackson Paul went 3-for-3 from deep to account for half of HU’s threes on the night. He finished with nine points and three steals.

Grace was paced by Ian Scott’s 20 points while Ian Raasch and Gage Sefton dropped in 17 points apiece. Both Scott and Sefton corralled seven rebounds each.

With tonight’s loss, Huntington drops to 24-7 on the season. The Foresters will find out at Thursday night’s selection show who and where they will play in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.