OSKALOOSA, IOWA – The 3rd-seeded Grand View men's basketball team traveled to Oskaloosa for a Heart of America Athletic Conference Semifinal matchup against 2nd-seeded William Penn on Friday night. Despite a competitive effort from the Vikings, William Penn proved too much to handle, pulling away for an 84-63 victory.
Grand View battled early, with
Patrick Worrell providing a pair of interior baskets to keep things close in the opening minutes. William Penn's Foday Sheriff and Malik Larane began to take control as the half progressed, with Sheriff's paint presence and Larane's perimeter shooting extending the Statesmen's lead.
Joe Knutson's three-pointer and a
Jaxson Young jumper showed Grand View's resilience, but William Penn maintained their advantage heading into halftime, taking a 49-30 lead into the break.
The Vikings continued to compete in the second half, with
Daviyon Gaston providing energy on both ends of the floor. Back-to-back Gaston baskets midway through the period cut the deficit and sparked a brief Grand View push, while
Lukas Helms contributed steady scoring and
Joe Knutson delivered a key block-and-steal sequence. William Penn's Larane and Bass continued to find the basket, however, and the Statesmen maintained control the rest of the way. Grand View fell 84-63.
Gaston led the Vikings with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, adding two steals and consistent interior play throughout. Helms contributed 14 points and four rebounds, while
O'Shawn Jones-Winslow added six points and seven boards off the bench. Grand View out-rebounded William Penn's reserves and showed fight until the final buzzer, with
Carson VandeLune capping the scoring with a late layup.
William Penn's Heart of America Player of the year, Foday Sheriff, finished with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, while Malik Larane added 20 points and eight rebounds to pace the Statesmen. Grand View finishes their season at 20-9, closing out a strong year for the Vikings program.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Grand View awaits an at-large bid into the NAIA National Tournament. The Vikings will find out if they are in on March 5th, at 6:00 PM CST.
