Grace Christian senior guard Danilo Ignjatovic passes the ball through the first half of Thursday's recreation in opposition to West Rutland. Ignjatovic led the Lions with 16 factors.
BENNINGTON – West Rutland entered the Bennington Sports activities Advanced Thursday night time as the highest crew in Division IV. After Grace Christian's 52-43 win over the Golden Horde, that distinction is up for debate.
West Rutland left the Bennington health club nonetheless — technically — atop the division, nevertheless it was the Lions who despatched a message with their spectacular victory in a playoff-like ambiance.
Grace took the lead with 30 seconds left on Palve Mikic's nook 3-pointer and rapidly constructed an 8-2 lead earlier than West Rutland tied the sport on a David Noel rating. The West Rutland senior large was a chilled presence, bringing in 10 factors and, simply as importantly, going up in opposition to Grace's dimension. Each groups have nice depth within the frontcourt and every has a variety of six-footers at their disposal.
Noel spent a lot of his night time battling Grace senior large males Vojin Cosic and Aleksander Zivanoivac, a significant cause why West Rutland stayed in rivalry early on. Braden Hogan made successful over Zizanovic's contested attain within the backside of the primary as Grace and West Rutland ended the quarter tied at 10.
From there, it was a back-and-forth recreation. Grace began the second quarter on a 7-2 run due to a savvy play by senior guard Danilo Ignjatovic, who penetrated the protection earlier than kicking it to an open Mikic behind the perimeter to place the Lions again on high. After a Turan Aries transition rating, Noel momentarily stopped the bleeding with one other level rating to tug West Rutland inside three, 15-12. However Ignjatovic (16 factors) wasn't finished, grabbing a defensive rebound on the following possession and taking it coast-to-coast, ending with a Eurostep close to the rim that froze his defender.
“I feel what harm us was their transition recreation,” West Rutland coach Ali Mitchell mentioned. “We labored on it, we talked about it, we simply didn't get to our spots quick sufficient.
As Grace threatened to tug away, West Rutland freshman Peter Guay (19 factors) started to search out his rhythm late within the first half. The Lions constructed their first double-digit lead of the night time on one other Mikic layup from downtown, this one coming with 3:49 left within the second quarter to stretch their crew's result in 22-12.
Guay responded with a bucket on the different finish. A minute later, he linked that basket with an empathetic chase block on a Turan layup try, organising a breakaway alternative that may finally result in Noel's rating. Guay added a second probability with 19 seconds left to chop Westside's deficit to 6. Turan ended the half by hitting a pair of defenders on the baseline and ending on the rim to present his Lions a 26-18 lead.
West Rutland freshman Peter Guay goes up for a block as Grace Christian's Palve Mikic makes an attempt a layup throughout a Division IV boys basketball recreation Thursday on the Bennington Sports activities Advanced.
Grace saved tempo within the third quarter, sustaining a lead of not less than three possessions all through. Guay put the guests up with 2:39 left within the quarter after he perfected a give-and-go and completed with contact on the rim. The freshman guard drew a foul and transformed a 3-point play to deliver Westside inside seven, 35-28. Each offenses went chilly from there and didn't rating some extent the remainder of the quarter.
Guay began the scoring within the fourth when he break up a pair of Grace defenders for scores within the lane to make it a five-point recreation 10 seconds into the body. The 2 sides traded baskets over the subsequent jiffy earlier than one other Guay rating within the paint made it a one-possession recreation. He received his fingers on a defensive rebound and took it proper to Grace's hoop; regardless of three defenders crowding him within the lane — the Westside freshman in some way managed to complete to chop Grace's result in 39-37 with greater than 5 minutes remaining.
Sensing the stress, the Lions modified the tempo and determined to push the tempo and never enable Westside to arrange their 3-2 zone that they performed many of the night time. Grace was instantly rewarded when Turan transformed a quick break alternative with contact on the subsequent possession. The senior made a free throw to finish the sport at 3 factors. Grace's Jaiden Gile got here up with a steal on the opposite finish of the ground and rapidly fed the basketball to Ignjatovic on the break, who weaved his well beyond the would-be defender. Likewise, Grace's lead grew again to seven in lower than a minute.
Grace Christian's Baran Turan passes whereas being defended by a pair of West Rutland gamers.
Westside fought admirably; A minute later, Andrew Bailey sank a 3-pointer from the left wing, however the guests couldn’t shut the hole. Grace performed strong basketball and held the lead on a number of possessions over the ultimate three minutes of the sport to safe the victory.
Within the third yr of its program, Grace Christian has rapidly constructed up a following. Most of the key contributors are gamers who didn't develop up within the state of Vermont and haven't performed collectively earlier than. Coach Brian Bushee mentioned attempting to get the crew happening the courtroom was “our greatest problem.”
“These guys get right here on campus and we’ve got to place all people collectively,” he mentioned. “Credit score to the youngsters; they've labored extraordinarily laborious on the team-building stuff. They actually like one another; they work laborious in observe, they pay attention and so they have basketball IQ.”
All of it provides as much as a 7-2 begin to the season for the Lions, who stay undefeated in opposition to Vermont competitors. Grace's two losses got here in opposition to Redemption Christian Academy of Troy, N.Y., on Dec. 9 and Mekeel Christian Academy of Scotia, N.Y., on Jan. 5. Grace is due again in courtroom Monday in Proctor.
