Lansing Christian's postseason run ends in regional final
FOWLER – Lansing Christian's boys basketball team knew it would be an uphill battle against defending Division 4 state champion Wyoming Tr-Unity Christian on Wednesday night.
But the Pilgrims got hot from deep in the first half, hitting seven 3-pointers and led most of the first 16 minutes. The Defenders went into the break leading by just five, and Lansing Christian had the feeling it could stick around.
The Pilgrims still had a two-point lead late in the third quarter, but Tri-Unity again went on a mini-run to take a five-point lead into the fourth. From there, Lansing Christian ran out of gas, falling to the defending champs 62-44 in a regional final.
"These seniors are going to hold a special place in my heart and I couldn't be prouder of them," Lansing Christian coach Grayson Fuller said. "They played a great game, and Tri-Unity is a great team, but I couldn't be prouder of the way they came out and played tonight."
The first season for Lansing Christian under Fuller, who was an assistant for the Pilgrims the past four seasons, was full of ups and downs. But with a senior-laden squad and quality assistants surrounding him, Fuller was able to reflect on the impact this group made and look forward to the program's future.
"I've had multiple kids, middle school, elementary school students who have come up to me and talked about wanting to play someday for me," Fuller said. "I don't know if (the seniors) know that, but I hear it and it goes to show that they aren't just good players, but the character they have in their communities and school, how they are known."
Lansing Christian was led by senior Benjamin Sambaer's 14 points, while sophomore Evan Danesworth added 11 points, including three first-half 3-pointers.
Tri-Unity was led by senior forward Ray Fogg, who poured in 17 points, while guards Wesley Kaman and Jordan VanKlompenberg each hit double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
"Our gameplan is always to defend and rebound, but against a team like Tri-Unity, you have to hit shots too," Fuller said. "They don't give up anything easy, but when we were hitting early, we knew we could play with them. They're the defending champs, that's something to hang your hat on."
The Defenders (20-6) move on to the state quarterfinals and will face Kalamazoo Phoenix (17-2), while Lansing Christian finishes the season at 16-10.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing Christian's postseason run ends in regional final
