Lancaster Bible 78, Geneva 75- NCCAA Midwest Region Championship

Geneva Starters
Veynovich, Massie, Rachic, Luptak & Tipton

LBC Starters
Seth Beers, Grant Sareyka, Maureon Tisdale-Couch, Jordan Shewbridge & Adam Stoltzfus

How It Happened
The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team held off a late rally by Geneva College, winning the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship by a score of 78-75 on Thursday, March 10.

The Chargers (21-7 Overall) got off to a fast start with Jordan Shewbridge connecting on a 3-pointer on the team's first possession of the game. Adam Stoltzfus finished a layup in the paint, giving LBC an early 5-0 lead. Geneva (14-11 Overall) answered back, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to close within a point. Shewbridge answered back with his second 3-pointer of the game, giving LBC a 10-6 lead. After a pair of free throws by Stoltzfus, Seth Beers knocked down a jump shot to extend LBC's advantage to six points. Jakari Wilkins and Ethan Beachy scored back-to-back layups putting the Chargers ahead 20-10 with 13:35 remaining in the half. The Golden Tornadoes fought back, closing within four points. Shewbridge stormed to the basket, drawing a foul on a layup and converting a three-point play. Beachy hit four free throws and then connected on a 3-pointer, giving LBC a 35-22 lead. Tyler Hilton extended the lead to 15, finishing a layup off a great pass from Beachy. Geneva fought back, going on a 12-0 run over a four-minute span to close back within three points with under a minute remaining. Hilton again scored an uncontested layup off a pass from Beachy to put LBC ahead 45-40 going into the half.

The Golden Tornadoes cut the deficit down to one point in the first minute of the half. Shewbridge halted Geneva's run, drilling another 3-pointer. Andrew Zentner powered in back-to-back layups keeping the Chargers ahead by six. After a layup by Beachy, Zentner hit first career 3-pointer, giving LBC a 61-51 advantage. The Chargers maintained the 10-point advantage for most of the remainder of the half, holding a 74-64 lead with 2:30 remaining in the game. Geneva made one last push, closing to within two points with :20 seconds remaining in the game. Shewbridge converted one last free throw, helping the Chargers hold on for the 78-75 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Jordan Shewbridge led the way for the Chargers, scoring 28 points on 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc
- Ethan Beachy scored a career-high 20 points, pulling in six rebounds
- Andrew Zentner scored nine points, gathering six rebounds
- Seth Beers dished a team high five assists
- Adam Stoltzfus led the team in rebounds totaling seven boards
- Geneva was led by Lyle Tipton who scored 30 points
- The Chargers won the battle on the glass, holding a 41-38 edge in rebounds

Who's Next
The Chargers will find out who they matchup against in the NCCAA National Championship Tournament. The tournament gets under way on March 16 in Winona Lake, Ind. and is hosted by Grace College.

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