It's hard to dethrone the champion.

The Lancaster Bible College women's basketball team hosted its first East Region Final game on Thursday night and even though they had their chances, Valley Forge Christian proved, it's hard to dethrone the champion. The Patriots took advantage of LBC missed shots and turned them into points, many of them 3-pointers, and defeated the top-seeded Chargers, 64-48 to advance to the NCCAA National Tournament.

Morgan Godwin had a game-high 20 points to lead the Patriots, while Amanda Reich had 18 points and six rebounds. Forward Amanda Compton had just two points, but had 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards that kept a ton of possessions going for Valley Forge Christian.

Emily Lloyd led LBC with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Lauren Heliger had nine points and eight boards. Heliger's first three points, a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining in the first half, gave her 1,000 points for her career. She becomes just the seventh LBC women's basketball player with 1,000 points and just the third to reach the mark in her junior year.

"We just didn't have a whole lot go right for us tonight," Chargers' Head Coach Doug Helsel said. "We haven't played like that in a while and we just missed too many layups. I am proud of Lauren however, it is a great feat to score 1,000 points."

After the teams traded baskets for much of the first half, Reich hit a 3-pointer and jumper on back-to-back possessions that gave the Patriots a six-point lead. A fastbreak layup by Lloyd cut the deficit to four with 3:34 remaining in the half, but just as the Chargers regained some momentum, the Morgan Godwin Show began.

Godwin hit her second and third 3-pointers of the half on back-to-back possessions and an Alicia Dorman layup on the next possession gave the Patriots a 12-point lead at 32-20. Lloyd hit a layup with 0.2 remaining in the half to make it a 10-point game, but could not convert the free throw to make it a three-point play.

Godwin and Reich combined for the dagger during a 1:35 span early in the second half. With the Chargers down 12, 36-24, Godwin hit a 3-pointer, followed by a Reich 3-pointer that extended the lead to 18. After LBC called timeout and missed a three, Compton struck again from beyond the arc, her fifth of the game, to put VFCC up by 21, 45-24.

And just like last Thursday against St. Elizabeth, the Chargers couldn't match their opponent from beyond the arc and had to settle for one and two point scores.

"They scored by threes and we didn't," Helsel said. "Give them credit, they played well tonight and we didn't for too many stretches of time. Godwin just hit shot after shot."

The Chargers (15-12) tried to make a run and cut the Patriots' lead to 11 with 8:51 to play, but went cold from the floor and didn't have another field goal until the 4:13 mark. They cut the deficit to 11 once more with 2:50 to play, but the Patriots hit eight of their final 10 free throws to seal the win.

"I think it was good for us to play with some pressure," Helsel said. "We've been the underdog for two years and today we were the top seed and were the hunted, not the hunter."

Helsel also reminded his team that Thursday's loss should not diminish the record season they have had.

"One game doesn't define us," Helsel said. "We've had a great year and aren't done yet."

That comment refers to Saturday's NEAC Semi-Final which pits the Chargers against the top-seeded Wildcats of SUNYIT.

"The goal is to go up to New York and play well," Helsel said. "We aren't going just to compete, we want to win."

Saturday's tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m., but in all likelihood will play 25 minutes after the first semi-final which pits second-seeded Penn St. Harrisburg against Keuka.

Notes:
-The last three women's basketball players who have scored 1,000 points have done so in LBC losses.

-The Patriots (16-16) advance to the NCCAA National Tournament which we be held in Circleville, Ohio, March 8-10.

-These two schools will face-off in the Men's East Region Final on Friday night in Phoenixville, Pa.