It's never easy defeating a rival, even if you're up by 16 points with 13 minutes left to play.

The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball almost learned that lesson the hard way by blowing such a lead, but in the end, they hung on and defeated Philadelphia Biblical University, 78-76 to advance to their fourth straight NCCAA East Region Final.

After the two teams traded baskets and momentum for much of the first half, the Chargers finished the final 6:31 on a 15-4 run to take a 42-30 lead at halftime. Keith Keltner had 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, while senior Madison Warfel had 11. Warfel's 11 points were just as important as his shutdown defense on PBU's Adam Derus. Derus had just four points in the first half on 1-of-3 shooting.

The second half appeared destined to go just the same as the first half as the teams traded buckets in the early going, before the Chargers went on a 5-0 run to take a 53-37 lead with 13:52 remaining. But unlike the first half, Derus and the Crimson Eagles got hot and began sinking shot after shot, while the Chargers' offense went cold.

Derus' unbelievable layup that turned into a three-point play with a made free throw, capped a 10-0 PBU run in just two minutes and the Chargers' and their fans realized it was a brand new ballgame.

"We stopped running in the second half," Chargers' Head Coach Pete Beers said. "I thought our speed and up-and-down play helped get us the lead and then we just sort of stopped."

A Brett Derr 3-pointer with 9:07 to play gave LBC a nine-point lead at 62-53, but the Crimson Eagles answered right back when Derus hit a three just nine seconds later to cut the deficit to six. Two Seth Heinicke free throws and yet another Derus 3-pointer later and the Crimson Eagles were within one at 62-61 with 7:39 to play. Almost two minutes later, the Crimson Eagles took their first lead of the half when Derus hit a jumper with 5:44 to play to put PBU up 66-65.

Corey Leonard's layup put LBC back on top 13 seconds later and once again the game appeared to be in hand when Andrew Risser capped a fast break with a layup at the 2:41 mark to give LBC a 75-70 lead. However, after Derus hit two free throws with 1:39 remaining, the Chargers led by just three at 78-75. After an LBC possession, Heinicke was fouled and sank one of two free throws to cut the PBU deficit to two, 78-76.

Both teams came up empty on their next possessions, and after Risser missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Crimson Eagles called timeout with 19 seconds remaining. After being unable to find Derus, Charles Hopkins shot a 3-pointer that missed but was grabbed by PBU's Kevin Joseph. Keith Keltner stripped the ball and was fouled with seven seconds to play.

But again, the Chargers could not hit the front end of a 1-and-1 and again the Crimson Eagles had a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Derus pushed the ball up the floor to Joseph who drew a foul and headed to the line with 1.3 seconds to play and a chance to tie the game.

Joseph missed the first free throw and after an LBC timeout, Joseph missed the second on purpose, trying to give PBU an opportunity to tip the ball in. LBC freshman Jon Bird soared above everyone for the rebound and in one motion threw the ball down the court to let time expire and give the Chargers the victory.

"What a great heads up play by Jon at the end," Beers said. "He has been putting in great work at practice and he just a strong player who can contribute in lots of ways."

Keltner finished the game with 25 points, a season-high, and added six assists and five rebounds. Warfel poured in 20 points, while Leonard had eight points and three rebounds.

Derus finished with 25 points, 21 of which came in the second half, while Heinicke had 16 points and seven boards.

"Both teams had several opportunities to win tonight and I think when our backs were against the wall at the end, you saw the leadership and pride on this team," Beers said. "We countered their scoring runs and we pushed back. I think that revealed a lot of our character."

As has been the case the previous three seasons, the Chargers will travel to Valley Forge Christian for the East Region Final with a chance to extend their season and qualify for the NCCAA National Tournament. The Patriots are 23-7 this season and are ranked second in the latest NCCAA Division II poll. Just like last season though, the underdog Chargers will look to pull off the upset.

"We will have to contain them," Beers said. "They are quick, but we have the potential to win and will need to play well."

Notes:
-LBC has defeated PBU seven straight times.

-Wednesday was LBC's final home game of the season. They finished 4-8 at home this season.

-The LBC and VFCC women's basketball teams will square off in the East Region Final on Thursday. It marks the second straight season that both schools have been in both the men's and women's Region Final.