The Cardinals were fresh off a 13 point victory over Kuyper College who defeated the Tigers just a week ago.  It appeared for awhile that Andrews was going to hold the home court advantage as they built a double digit lead late in the second half. But the Tigers made some defensive moves and rode the three point shooting of senior John Oostema (Grand Rapids Christian) and senior Matt Kurtz (Lowell) as they mounted a comeback to take the lead with two minutes to go.  Oostema finished with 18 points on 6/10 shooting from behind the arc.  Kurtz also finished with 18 points on 4/7 on three pointers. 

But it took a total team effort to defeat the Cardinals. Junior Ryan Dame (Wayland) was huge for the Tigers with 12 rebounds, two dunks, 3 blocked shots, and 9 points.  Senior Ryan Krombeen (Calvin Christian) had 15 points, 8 rebounds and season high 9 assists. The Tigers had their best game of the season from the free throw line, 93% on 14/15 and held a 38-20 advantage on the boards.

“At times we looked great tonight,” said Coach Gary Bailey, “and other times we were horrible.”  But the Cardinals had a lot to do with making the Tigers look bad. “They have a very good team and an excellent coach,” said Bailey.  The Tigers looked good when it counted down the stretch.  “I’m proud of the guys for not giving up and digging deep in the character bank,” commented Bailey, “but we need to start playing like that from the opening tip.”

The Tigers improved to 17-8 with tonight’s victory.  Grace is back in action on Saturday afternoon, February 4, at 3:00 PM in a special home game at Calvin Christian High School against Indiana University Northwest.

It took the Tigers a few minutes to “scout on the fly” but they took the lead for good near the midpoint of the first half and totally dominated the Crusaders in every phase of the game in the second half, allowing Coach Bailey to go deep into his bench and cruise to the 20 point winning margin.  Grace shot 53% from the field and 74% from the free throw line while holding GLCC to 36% from the field. The Tigers dominated the boards 36-24.

Cory Jamieson

Senior Cory Jamieson (Wayland) led the Tigers with 21 points including 3/5 from the 3 point line.  Junior Zach Schutte (Calvin Christian) had 17 points.  Senior Matt Kurtz (Lowell) contributed 16 points and 7 rebounds. Fellow captain Ryan Krombeen (Calvin Christian) led the Tigers with 8 assists.

“It was a solid performance against a talented team,” said Bailey.  “I was pleased overall with the way we played.  We still have a few things to clean up but we are dedicated to working hard between now and tourney time.  We’ll be ready.”

Grace is back in action Tuesday night at Andrews University in Berrien Springs.

The Tigers played a solid defensive first half and led at the break, 31-25, but careless ball handling and poor shot selection in the first five minutes of the second half saw the Cougars take a lead they never relinquished.  Kuyper built their lead to as much as 15 as Bailey nearly emptied his bench in disappointment with the way his upperclassmen were playing.  Grace came back to within 6 points with about 4 minutes to play but turnovers and poor shot selection again stymied the comeback.

The Tigers don’t have long to lick their wounds as they are back in action at Great Lakes Christian College on Thursday in Lansing.

Ryan Dame - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks

The Tigers were back home Thursday night for the first time since December 3 and gave the home crowd an exciting game in defeating 2011 USCAA National Champion Andrews University, 80-72.

Andrews’ Matthew Little scored 34 including 6 three pointers but the Tigers countered with senior John Oostema’s (Grand Rapids Christian) 7 three pointers and 25 points.  Ryan Dame (Wayland) played another outstanding game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocked shots.  The 6’7″ junior is playing the best ball of his career in the last couple of weeks. Senior captains Cory Jamieson (Wayland) with 13 and Matt Kurtz (Lowell) with 11 also reached double figures.  Grace also received solid play off the bench from juniors Aaron Schutte (Sioux Center) and Greg Salmon (Wayland) and freshman Jake Blauwkamp (Grandville).

John Oostema - 25 points (7-3 pointers)

The Tigers led by as much as seven in the first half but Little’s shooting kept the Cardinals in it and Grace led at the half by only 3, 42-39.  The Tigers stepped up with more intensity on defense in the second half and played patiently on offense to hold off the Cardinals.

The Tigers next game is against crosstown NCCAA rival, #4 ranked Kuyper College, on Tuesday, January 24 in the annual Cross Cup game.

Coach Gary Bailey received solid contributions from his bench as 10 players played over 10 minutes each.  None was more valuable than junior Greg Salmon (Wayland) who continues to inspire the coaching staff and his teammates with his non-stop hustle. “Greg has a nose for the ball,” commented assistant coach, Dan George, “and he gives you 100% every minute he’s in there.” Salmon finished with 5 rebounds (4 on the offensive end), 5 points, 3 assists, and a steal in 15 minutes of play. Senior John Oostema (Calvin Christian) also came off the bench with 8 points and 6 assists. Senior Cameron Myers (Enumclaw HS) contributed 11 solid minutes of point play and hit a big 3 pointer.

“Our focus tonight was not on margin of victory,” said Coach Bailey.  “We set some goals to do things right and let the points fall in place.  We made huge strides in those areas and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

The Tigers shot a blistering 51.4% from the field and outrebounded the Red Hawks 42-36.

Grace is back home on Thursday, January 19, as they host the Cardinals of Andrews University at 7:00 PM in the Aldrich Center.

Ridge signing his letter of intent with Coach Bailey and his parents Dave and Candy Tefft

Ridge Tefft, a 6’4″ guard out of Litchfield High School has agreed to suit up for the Tigers next season.  Tefft was selected 3rd Team All State as a Junior in the 2010-11.  As a Senior this season, Tefft is averaging 16.2 ppg, 8 rpg, and 3.2 apg.  He has a high scoring game of 29 points this season.

“We are very happy to have Ridge and his family be a part of Grace basketball,” said Coach Gary Bailey.  “He is of the same mold as our current players and should develope well into our system.  He can really shoot the ball and from good distance.”

A National Honor Society student, Ridge has a 3.75 gpa and will major in Business.

Ridge is the son of Dave and Candy Tefft of Litchfield.

The Timberwolves asserted their size advantage in the second half and pulled away to a margin of 14 points with 5:33 to play but the Tigers fought back again.  Down 7 at 70-63 with 56 seconds to play the Tigers got a good look at 3 pointer that would have narrowed the margin to 4 but senior John Oostema’s shot rattled out.

The Tigers had to be cheered by their performance against as tough an opponent as they have faced all year. Grace cut their turnovers in half from the total against Ohio Christian on Tuesday and played with a lot of confidence on offense.  “Our goal is always to win,” said Coach Gary Bailey, “but we got better tonight, and that gives me some satisfaction. I don’t remember when I’ve felt this good about a loss.”

Junior Zach Schutte (Calvin Christian) and junior Ryan Dame (Wayland) picked up where they left off on Tuesday.  Schutte led the Tigers with 17  points while Dame and junior Randy Jefferson (Grand Rapids Union) led the team with 5 rebounds. Senior Cory Jamieson (Wayland), with 12 points, and senior John Oostema (Grand Rapids Christian) with 11 points also hit double figures for the Tigers.

Zach Schutte - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

Grace gave Coach Gary Bailey the focused effort he demanded at halftime of Tuesday night’s contest against #3 Ohio Christian University and overcame a turnover plagued first half to extend their NCCAA II winning streak to 69 consecutive games.  The Tigers had 14 first half turnovers and trailed the Trailblazers 36-35 at the half.  Bailey was happy with the team’s first half effort, but not their focus.  “Our turnovers were mostly caused by lack of focus, not pressure.  It was important to clean it up in the second half.”

Junior Zach Schutte (Calvin Christian) and junior Ryan Dame (Wayland) stepped up big for the Tigers.  Schutte shot 10/16 from the field including 2/2 from beyond the arc, hauled in 7 rebounds to go with his game high 23 points, and had two huge blocked shots in an outstanding defensive effort down the stretch.  “Ryan Dame may have played his best game as a Tiger,” said Coach Bailey, “and we really needed it tonight.  He gave us 100% effort the entire time he was in there.” Dame also had a big block down the stretch but it was his second effort baskets, and his hustle and defensive effort for the entire game that played a huge role in the Tiger win.  The junior finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Not overlooked in the win over the #3 team in the country was the extension of that NCCAA II winning streak.  The last Tiger loss to an NCCAA II team was March 15, 2008. The Tigers don’t seem to want the streak to end any time soon.

The Tigers are off until Thursday when they meet NCAA II Northwood University in Midland, MI at 7:00 PM.

Click here and follow the prompts to listen live to Rick Cooper call the game:

http://www.ohiochristian.edu/trailblazers/mens-basketball/trailblazer-radio

In his first game as a Viking Allen scored 27 points and pulled down 19 rebounds.

You can follow Allen on his blog site at http://allendurham.dinstudio.com/

A video highlight of Allen’s first game is attached below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7hZPgTLubo&feature=player_embedded