The 'Second Season' officially began on Wednesday night at Horst Athletic Center and the Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team wasted little time continuing their strong play. The Chargers jumped out to a 34-15 halftime lead and never looked back as they hammered Philadelphia Biblical University, 76-52.

Kevin Keltner led all scorers with 19 points to lead LBC to the NCCAA East Region Semi-Final victory. The win places the Chargers in the East Region Final opposite Valley Forge Christian College who defeated Davis College 82-51 on Wednesday.

"We were a bit tenative at the beginning of the game, but we finally started running and that helped us get good looks," Chargers' Head Coach Pete Beers said.

Senior Carl Edwards continued his strong play with 16 points and nine rebounds. With LBC in the bonus early in the second half, Edwards made many key free throws to keep the Chargers lead intact.

"Carl was huge from the line tonight," Beers said. "He and Kevin really came up big for us tonight."

When Edwards was on the bench, Colin Cooper filled in and provided big minutes for LBC (13-12). He finished with six points and three rebounds.

"Colin gave us some good minutes tonight, especially in the first half," Beers said. "He played very well."

Despite being down by 19 points at the half, the Crimson Eagles (7-19) came out firing and scored on their first four possessions of the second half.

"Our defense relaxed a little bit and that simply cannot happen for us because everything is based on our grit," Beers said.

PBU was led by Willie Miller's 18 points. Ben Fuller added 12 points and five rebounds.

Overall, Beers and the coaching staff were pleased with the win and are already turning their attention to Friday's Final.

"We did what we were supposed to do tonight and now it is time to look to Valley Forge," Beers said.

The Patriots have defeated the Chargers twice this season. They won 82-72 in Lancaster on January 26 and won 82-68 last Wednesday in Phoenixville. Beers and LBC are still confident they can go into Valley Forge Christian and win on Friday.

"We need a full effort the entire game," Beers said. "We need five guys playing tough defense the whole time. Us controlling the tempo will be a big thing as well."

Game time for Friday night will be determined on Thursday. Check the website for details.

Notes from PBU vs. LBC:
-LBC held a 39-27 edge on the boards.

-The Chargers shot 52.9 percent from the field, while PBU shot just 36.2 percent.

-Both teams struggled from beyond the arc. LBC was 3-of-14, while PBU was just 2-of-15.