Lancaster Bible College Men's Basketball Head Coach Jon Mack has called his team winners all season long. They've given their all to the program during this crazy 2020-21 season, they've played hard each and every game, and they've come up big in close games, so it was only fitting that a group of winners won their final game of the season on Friday night.
 
The Chargers defeated Columbia International (S.C.), 87-68, and earned a fifth place finish at the NCCAA Division I National Tournament. Lancaster Bible ends its season with a 13-4 overall record, while the Rams conclude their year with a 16-9 overall mark.
 
How it Happened: Jordan Shewbridge knocked down two 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the contest, and Tyler Hilton's jumper 3:37 into the game gave Lancaster Bible an early 8-6 lead. Lancaster Bible extended its lead to 15-11 on a triple from Ethan Beachy with 12:49 left in the half, and another jumper from Hilton sent the lead to 21-14 midway through the frame.
 
Shewbridge gave Lancaster Bible its first double-digit lead of the night with a three-point play with 6:59 to play in the half, and five straight points from Grant Sareyka a minute later extended the advantage to 34-22. The Rams answered with a 7-0 run over the next 2+ minutes, but Hilton answered with five straight points, followed by a Shewbridge 3-pointer shortly after, and Lancaster Bible stretched its lead back to 42-31 with 2:32 left in the half.
 
After holding a 44-36 lead at the break, Lancaster Bible allowed the first five points of the second half, and led just 44-41 two minutes into the second frame. The Chargers didn't panic however, and used an 8-2 run over the next 2:30 to grab a 52-41 advantage after a jumper from Ethan Beachy. After a basket by Columbia International, Lancaster Bible used a 10-2 run to build its largest lead of the game to that point, as Andrew Zentner scored eight of the 10 points, and his jumper with 13:23 remaining gave the Chargers a 62-45 lead.
 
The Rams made another run and trimmed their deficit to eight, 64-56, just prior to the midway point of the second half, but Lancaster Bible responded with an 8-0 run of its own, and Zentner capped the run again with a jumper, and gave the Chargers a 72-56 lead with 8:36 to play.
 
Columbia International took its turn, and responded with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 72-63, but Lancaster Bible proved to be too much, and Zentner's jumper in transition with 3:56 remaining extended the Chargers' lead to 80-65, and Lancaster Bible never looked back.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from the floor, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range…The Chargers got back to their old ways from the free throw line as well, and shot 85 percent (17-of-20) from the charity stripe…Columbia International shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the field, and just 20 percent (5-of-25) from beyond the arc…Lancaster Bible held a 42-34 advantage on the boards, and a 36-28 edge in points in the paint…Zentner paced the Chargers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyler Hilton had 15 points and three assists…Ethan Beachy added 13 points and two steals, and Shewbridge had 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals…Sareyka was the fifth and final player in double figures with 11 points, and he also added five assists…Britton Beachy had nine points and three boards in his final collegiate contest, while Tyler Norris had two points, three rebounds, and two steals in his final collegiate game…Seth Beers chipped in with six points, four rebounds, and two assists…Darrian Oates had 32 points to lead Columbia International.
 
The Coach Says: "The Northwestern (Minn.) game two nights ago showed us a lot," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Jon Mack explained. "Our purpose got distracted, and we were focused on the wrong things. We didn't play for the right purpose, and played uninspired basketball for the first 35 minutes of that contest. We needed to re-discover our purpose, and I think we did that prior to our second game, and showed it again tonight too."
 
On the purpose of Friday's game: "Tonight was a praise party for us," Mack said. "It was to give God the glory for the season we had, the ability to overcome obstacles, and just the ability to have a season."
 
On the team's seniors: "They have been the foundation of the program, and we aren't where we are today without them embracing our culture," Mack said. "They have bought in so much, and we are further along than I anticipated and that has a lot to do with those three guys. They have multiplied leaders within our program, and that is only going to help us in the future."
 
On the team's future: "The future is bright for our program," Mack explained. "We can't compromise our character, and as we recruit new players, their character and skill must complement our culture. We have some pieces to replace, but this is a strong team. We can get more athletic, and I believe we have a chance to do something special."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 1-1 all-time against Columbia International…The previous contest came during the 1978-79 season when then-Columbia Bible defeated Lancaster Bible, 94-70…Lancaster Bible finished the year with a 3-1 record in neutral site contests…Despite playing 11 fewer games than last season, Lancaster Bible finished just one win off of its 2019-20 total of 14…Lancaster Bible finished the year with a +11.8 scoring margin (78.7-66.9)…The Chargers scored 84 or more points eight times this season, including in five of the final six games of the season…Shewbridge (16.8) and Zentner (12.4) averaged double figures over 17 games this season…Shewbridge will enter next season with 1,124 points, which is the 21^st-most point in program history.