The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team saw its 2018-19 season come to an end on Saturday, as the Chargers lost to Cincinnati Christian, 78-75 in the NCCAA Division I Midwest Region Quarterfinals. Lancaster Bible closes out the season with a 14-13 overall record.
 
How it Happened: Lancaster Bible came out firing, and took a 6-2 lead on a jumper from Britton Beach with 16:46 remaining in the first half. The Chargers extended the lead to 16-8 on another bucket by Beachy four minutes later, and led 22-11 after Luke Beers' second straight 3-pointer midway through the half.
 
Cincinnati Christian cut its deficit to four at one point in the first half, but Lancaster Bible brought it back to double digits late in the first half on a jumper from Beers, and eventually led, 35-26 after 20 minutes of play.
 
After struggling in the first half, Cincinnati Christian began to find the scoring touch early in the second half, and cut the Chargers' lead to just two, 38-36 just over two minutes into the second frame. Lancaster Bible withstood the run, and regained a seven-point lead, 43-36, after two free throws from Luke Beers.
 
The Eagles kept charging, and took a 46-44 lead with 13:11 to play, but again Lancaster Bible didn't fold, and eventually took a 61-53 advantage with 9:40 to play after a bucket from Beachy. The lead grew to nine, 65-56, following a basket from Tyler Norris, and Lancaster Bible led by eight with 5:51 remaining, but Cincinnati Christian closed strong, and Dashawn Strong-Mosley's 3-pointer with 3:43 to play brought the Eagles to within one, 73-72.
 
Two free throws by Blake Walsman with 1:42 remaining gave the Eagles a 76-75 lead, and Lancaster Bible missed a late chance to tie, and two more Eagles' free throws clinched the game in the final seconds.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 40 percent (28-of-70) from the field, but just 9-of-31 from 3-point range…Cincinnati Christian shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the floor, and just 10-of-33 from 3-point range, as both teams struggled from beyond the arc…Beachy led the Chargers with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists….Luke Beers finished with 15 points and seven boards…Shewbridge had 12 points and three assists…Davis capped his career with nine points and seven boards…Alex Whitt had four points and three rebounds in his final collegiate game…Tyler Norris added eight points, while Isaac Beers had seven points, three steals and two assists…Walsman and Kobe Brown each had 18 points for the Eagles.
 
The Coach Says: "I thought we were the better team all day, Cincinnati Christian just hit some tough shots down the stretch, and gave themselves some second chances," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Andrew Wingreen said. "We had two good looks to go ahead at the end, and the shots just didn't fall."
 
More on Saturday's Game: "Despite foul trouble, we battled with one of the top post players in NAIA, and Tyler Norris gave us great minutes off the bench," Wingreen said. "We need to stay together this off season and stay hungry. We know this is not a great feeling, and we need to learn how to win close games."
 
On the Seniors and Next Year: "I'm very thankful for everything Alex and Quentin have done and given for this program," Wingreen said. "We will have a great returning group next season."
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 1-3 all-time against Cincinnati Christian…The last meeting between the teams came on Dec. 7, 2014, when the Chargers defeated the Eagles, 67-64 at Horst Athletic Center…Lancaster Bible caps the year with a 6-7 record on the road, and a 6-9 mark in all games away from Horst Athletic Center…The 11 steals marked the eighth time this season the Chargers have had double-digit steals in a game…Davis ends his collegiate career with 929 points and 590 rebounds…Whitt finishes his career with 464 points and 334 boards…The 14-13 overall record gives the Chargers their sixth straight season with a .500 record or better.