March 3, 2026

Lancers Seize Historic Fifth-Straight CL Tourney Title

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team cemented a half-decade of dominance on Tuesday night.

The young, record-breaking Lancers defeated Indiana Wesleyan 84-82 in a thrilling championship game of the 2026 Crossroads League Tournament.

The Lancers (28-3) have now won five consecutive CL Tournament titles, the longest stretch in conference history.

Grace implemented wave after wave of offensive firepower, eventually breaking down the NAIA No. 4-ranked Wildcats (26-5). The win also extends Grace's winning streak to 10 straight victories over IWU. The stretch of 10 wins in a row is the longest winning streak in series history.

With Tuesday's championship, Grace has now won the last nine trophies handed out by the Crossroads League — including the five CL tournament trophies as well as the last four regular-season championships.

The No. 2 Lancers enjoyed a fast offensive start thanks to a 3-point barrage. Ian Raasch started the scoring with a triple, and Gage Sefton followed up shortly afterwards with another.

Five minutes into the game, Grady Carpenter and Raasch canned back-to-back 3s, pushing the Lancers on top 16-9. Raasch racked up 10 points in the first 5:36 of action.

Midway into the half, the Lancers began attacking the paint. Hunter Walston converted an and-1 to go along with another layup in less than a minute.

A few minutes later, Gavin Betten scored twice in a row as Grace led 28-20.

IWU called timeout to slow Grace's momentum; it helped as the Wildcats tallied nine points over the next three minutes.

Tyler Raasch stepped up to provide another boost of scoring. The freshman muscled his way to an and-1, then quickly tacked on five more points to establish an 8-point cushion.

Two late-3-pointers from Betten and Sefton propelled the Lancers ahead by 11, and Grace strolled into halftime with a 46-37 lead.

Grace turned the ball over eight times in the first half, but it was overcome by shooting 59 percent from the floor. Grace also drilled 46 percent of its 3-point attempts (6 of 13).

IWU was muted to 41-percent shooting and 27 percent on triples.

The Raasch brothers paved the way as Ian scored 13 first-half points, and Tyler scored 10 with two blocks.

Ian Raasch continued his strong play with four points over the first 90 seconds of the second half.

Carpenter was a maestro in the second half, assisting several scores for the Lancers. He also stole a pass and raced away for a layup to ignite the crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

The two teams continued to exchange baskets with Grace holding a slight edge.

Midway into the half, Cannen Houser scored five points in the span of a minute. His layup pushed the lead to 72-60 with nine minutes remaining.

The Wildcats immediately clawed their way back, using an 11-1 run to slice Grace's once-comfortable cushion down to 73-71.

Tyler Raasch gave Grace a much-needed breather with a timely 3-pointer on the next possession. But the Wildcats erased the gap with two layups.

Grace held its one-point lead for two minutes as each team tightened up on the defensive end.

Ian Raasch delivered a fadeaway jumper and a layup on consecutive possessions to keep Grace ahead. His brother Tyler sank a clutch jump shot with 1:22 on the clock, increasing Grace's lead to five at 82-77.

The Lancers' defense did its part at the end of the game. IWU did not make a field goal for over five minutes near the end of the game; the Wildcats did all of their scoring (five points) from the free throw line during that stretch.

Sefton swished two free throws with less than 30 seconds to play, but the Wildcats answered with two of their own.

Grace lost possession in the final frantic seconds, allowing IWU to make a layup with seven seconds to play.

The Lancers misfired at the free throw line, which gave the Wildcats possession trailing by two. Carpenter iced the win by poking away IWU's dribble in the final seconds, and the Lancers clinched the championship by securing the loose ball.

Grace's euphoric crowd did its signature "Lancer Clap" in synchronized celebration with the team to cap off a memorable tournament run.

For the game, Grace shot 54 percent overall and 39 percent on 3s. IWU made 45 percent overall and 43 percent on 3s, including 60 percent on 3-pointers after halftime (6-of-10).

Ian Raasch scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting overall. Tyler Raasch produced 16 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks.

Carpenter posted 7 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block with just a single turnover.

Sefton amassed 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, Betten scored 11 points with two assists, Houser scored eight points without missing a shot (3-3), and Walston tallied 8 points, 7 boards and 1 block.

The Lancers will now turn their attention fully to the 2026 NAIA National Championships. Grace has already punched its ticket thanks to winning the league.

Grace is also guaranteed to open the national tournament at home after Grace was named a host site for the NAIA First and Second Rounds.

The complete tournament bracket, along with the Winona Lake portion of the tournament, will be announced on Thursday night. Grace will play its NAIA First Round game on Friday, March 13, at 5 p.m. With a win, Grace would play in the Second Round on Saturday, March 14, at 3:30 p.m.