Box Score After 10 years, that lonely 2002-03 NCCAA East Region Women's Basketball banner on the wall in Horst Athletic Center will finally have some company.

The Lancaster Bible women's basketball team tossed away three years of bad memories and convincingly defeated Valley Forge Christian, 77-60 on Wednesday night at Horst Athletic Center to end the Patriots' two-year reign as the top team in the East Region.

All five Chargers' starters scored in double figures led by senior Lauren Heliger's 23 points and six assists. Freshman Aubrey Folger had 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Brooklyn Wilson and Emily Lloyd each added 13 points for the Chargers who improved to 14-0 at home this season.

Just like in the regular season meeting between these two teams, the Chargers used a large scoring run to pull away from the Patriots and take control of the game. Trailing, 24-20 with six minutes to play in the first half, LBC scored 16 of the final 18 points of the first half to turn a four-point deficit into a 10-point halftime lead.

LBC (22-4) increased its lead to 17 points just 3:07 into the second half and though the Patriots (12-14) cut the deficit to nine twice in the second half, they never seriously challenged the Chargers again.

"I thought we did a great job of taking the ball to the basket and attacking the hoop," Chargers' Head Coach Doug Helsel said. "We didn't settle for jumpers and I think our movement offensively was good for most of the game."

One of the keys to LBC's victory was its ability to get to the free throw line. The Chargers were 22-of-30 from the line, while the Patriots were 7-of-7. 

"We had a few hiccups throughout the game, but down the stretch, the ladies were great and hit some big free throws," Helsel said. "Seventy percent is always our goal and getting to the line is a big part of how we get some separation from our opponents."


In addition to getting to the line, the Chargers turned the ball over a season-low eight times. The previous low was 10 in last week's win over Penn St. Abington.

"We knew they were going to double the post and we told our bigs they needed to be strong with the ball and I think they did a very good job of that," Helsel said.

Valley Forge Christian's Morgan Godwin had a team-high 16 points, while Vanity Jones had 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Seniors Amanda Reich and Amanda Compton each had 10 points for the Patriots. 

The win is especially sweet for seniors Heliger and Lloyd who have had to watch the Patriots celebrate playoff victories the past three seasons.

"They've gotten the best of us the past three seasons, so I'm glad Em and Lauren can experience a win," Helsel said. "Valley has good players, but I think we were just a little deeper and hit some big shots."


The Chargers must now shift gears and focus on this weekend's NEAC Semifinal against upstart Wells who upset SUNYIT in the NEAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday night. LBC Assistant Coach Adam Surguine thought there was at least one thing LBC could take from Wednesday's win and apply to the weekend.

"It gives us the experience needed to win a championship," Surguine said. "We know what that looks like now and we need to prepare to battle that hard this weekend."

LBC's NEAC Semifinal will tip-off at 2 p.m., while Keuka will take on Penn St. Harrisburg at 4 p.m. The winners will meet in Sunday's NEAC Final at 2 p.m.

Tonight however, the Chargers will enjoy their accomplishment and reflect on how difficult it was to overcome one of their biggest rivals after three years of disappointment. If nothing else, it will be nice to see the old banner with a new friend.


Notes:
-Heilenman and Wilson were named to the NCCAA East Region Second Team, while Folger and Heliger earned First Team recognition...Folger was also named East Region Newcomer of the Year, while Heliger took home the East Region Most Outstanding Player award which she split with Reich...Helsel was named Coach of the Year.
-Compton's six rebounds gave her 1,000 for her career
-The 77 points scored against VFCC is the most since the Chargers scored 104 against the Patriots in 2005-06
-With the win, LBC advances to the NCCAA National Tournament which will be held next month in Circleville, Ohio.
-The LBC student section produced its version of the Harlem Shake at halftime...Video will be available in the morning.