In a thrilling conference showdown on the road, the Lancaster Bible Men's Basketball team fell just short, losing 81-79 to St. Mary's (Md.). The reigning United East champions are now 1-1 in the conference with a 2-4 record overall. Meanwhile, the Seahawks stand at 4-4 on the year and are 1-0 in United East play.
 
How It Happened: Both teams started the first half slow on the offensive side with a score of 4-2 five minutes in, but Grant Sareyka hit a crucial three to extend Lancaster Bible's lead. The Seahawks continued their defensive effort and pulled it back to a tie game at eight, but again, the Chargers connected from deep with the senior duo of Seth Beers and Sareyka each getting a three and taking the lead back at 16-10 with nine minutes remaining in the half. As both sides started to heat up, it was freshman Connor Storr for the Chargers who scored nine points off the bench in just two and a half minutes. With just a one-point lead and a few seconds on the clock, Sareyka stole the ball from the opposition and found Maureon Tisdale-Couch for a layup to end the half up 34-31.
 
Both teams picked up the second half where they left off as there were four tied scores and three lead changes in just the first five minutes. Trailing by two just a minute later, Isaiah Mitchell finished a tough layup for an and-one to get the 45-44 lead for the Chargers in an effort to shift the momentum. Following a 10-4 run from the Seahawks to take a significant lead, Luke Rumbaugh had another massive highlight for the Chargers, getting a four-point play. The Seahawks followed by rattling off an 11-3 run to take a 71-58 lead with under six minutes remaining. The Chargers continued to chip their way back into the game, and Rumbaugh drilled another three plus the foul with under a minute to make it a two-point game. Unfortunately, the Chargers were just short of a comeback and lost 81-79.
 
By the Numbers: 
- Connor Storr finished with 19 points on 8-11 shooting including 3-4 from beyond the arc
- Seth Beers did a little bit of everything, posting 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals
- Lancaster Bible was out-rebounded as a team 56 to 33
- Hollique Johnson led the Seahawks with 16 points and 18 rebounds
 
Information to Know: Seth Beers currently has 293 assists; this number is tied with Eric Lee for fifth all-time in career assists in program history. Grant Sareyka currently has 165 career steals, and his former teammate, now assistant coach, Jordan Shewbridge sits at fifth all-time in program history with 167. Also, Sareyka's 122 points this season are the most through six games since 2021-22 when Shewbridge had 141 points to open the season. After falling, Lancaster Bible is now 7-2 all-time against the Seahawks. 
 
Up Next:  The Chargers will take a break from conference play as they head back home to play Salisbury on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m.