WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's men's basketball team held on late to beat Taylor 72-68 on Wednesday.

The Lancers moved into sole possession of third place in the Crossroads League standings with the victory. Grace (16-9, 8-5 CL) will end the season with five straight ranked opponents, beginning with No. 9 Bethel on Saturday at home at 3 p.m.

Myles Johnson enjoyed one of the best games of his freshman season, producing a double-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Haden Deaton scored 14 points, none bigger than a 3-point dagger in the final minute.

Grace led for nearly the entire first half. Johnson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer.

Taylor managed to take a quick 8-7 lead, but the Lancers maintained a small lead for the next seven minutes.

With seven minutes to play in the half, the Lancers' long-range marksmanship helped the hosts pull away. Grace erupted on a 12-4 run over the course of three minutes.

All 12 of those points came on 3-pointers — two from Jaret Sons and one apiece from Braxton Linville and Charlie Warner.

Taylor was unable to cut into Grace's cushion, and Johnson ended the half with a putback layup in the final second.

The Lancers went into halftime up 45-32 after shooting 60 percent as a team. 

Taylor struggled to make any shots from the perimeter. The Trojans (13-12, 5-8 CL) did not make a 3-pointer. As a result, Taylor focused inside and scored 26 of its 32 points in the paint.

Sons buried three triples in the half for a game-high 14 points, and Johnson poured in 11 points and seven rebounds.

In the second half, Grace's distance shooting plummeted. The Lancers were sluggish offensively to start the second half, and Taylor took advantage.

The Trojans used an 8-1 spurt to pull within seven. Three minutes later, Grace's lead had all but vanished. A 3-pointer by Taylor made Grace's lead just one at 55-54.

Charlie Warner and Haden Deaton scored on back-to-back possessions for the Lancers to give Grace breathing room.

A putback by Johnson handed Grace a comfortable margin at 65-56 with five minutes to play.

But Taylor was not finished. The Trojans raced back and trailed by three with less than three minutes remaining.

Matt Jennings was fouled with two minutes to go and hit both foul shots. But the Lancers came up empty on their next two possessions, and Taylor trailed by one at 69-68.

Grace had the ball with 40 seconds remaining and needed a score; the Lancers found a bucket from Deaton. With the shot clock winding down, Deaton collected his dribble and launched a deep fadeaway 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net and essentially won the game.

Deaton's triple snapped a massive drought from beyond the arc. Grace missed 15 straight 3-pointers between the end of the first half and Deaton's triple with seven seconds left in the game. It also marked Deaton's first made 3-pointer after missing his first five tries.

Jaret Sons scored 14 points with four rebounds, Charlie Warner shot 5-of-8 for his 13 points, and Jennings added 11 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Next up, Grace will play its archrival No. 9 Bethel on Saturday at home. The men's game will tip off at 3 p.m. after the conclusion of the women's matchup.