Lancaster Bible College's Andrew Risser celebrated his 22nd birthday by leading the Chargers past Washington Bible College, 92-66 on Thursday night at Horst Athletic Center. Risser's team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds helped the Chargers defeat the Cougars for the 21st consecutive time.

Averaging a 41.2 point margin of victory over the Cougars the past five games, the Chargers' seven-point halftime lead was less than comforting. One of the main reasons they led at halftime was Brett Derr's eight point outburst in 49 seconds. Derr nailed two 3-pointers and a jumper to break a 27-27 tie and give the Chargers a lead they would never relinquish.

"Brett picked us up at the end of the first half," LBC Head Coach Pete Beers said. "They were playing right along with us up until that point, his buckets were huge for us."

LBC extended the lead to 11 four minutes into the second frame and the teams traded baskets for the next 10 minutes. A 22-11 run that began with eight minutes remaining sealed the win for LBC.

Madison Warfel added 17 points and seven assists, while Kody Koser chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds. Beers said the team had talked about others stepping up and contributing on the offensive end.

"We said there were going to be nights when others would have to score and sure enough, it happens tonight," Beers said. "Risser played big all night and did a good job taking the ball to the basket."

Freshman Brandon Santiago saw significant minutes because of Kevin Keltner's foul trouble and came through for the Chargers.

"With Brandon pushing the ball, I think that helped Risser and Warfel get some good shots," Beers said. "Brandon set them up well tonight when he was in there."

Foul trouble and a late lead led to many LBC players seeing the floor, something Beers was happy with.

"We are working with each other and learning one another's games," Beers said. "I thought tonight we moved the ball the best we have all season long. That will only get better the more everyone starts to learn what each player does."

From one rival to another, the Chargers take on Philadelphia Biblical University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Langhorne, Pa. Beers said the team is looking forward to the final couple of games prior to Christmas Break.

"We hope to go on the road and do what we have to do," Beers said. "We need to push ourselves these last two weeks. It's a tough stretch with basketball, finishing up classes and finals, but we need to push and enjoy the basketball part of things."






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