The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team celebrated the program's seven seniors with a 70-62 win over the Lions of Penn St. Abington on Saturday, February 18^th. The Chargers are now 18-7 overall and end the United East regular season with a 15-1 record. The Lions drop to 17-8 and 11-5 in conference play.
 
How It Happened: Graduate senior Jordan Shewbridge broke the ice for the Chargers, scoring the first points of the game for either team at the 18-minute mark. Senior Adam Stoltzfus added to the Charger lead with a bucket in the paint, making it 4-0. The Lions responded with a three-point field goal of their own to bring it within one point early. The Lions continued to respond to every Charger basket with points of their own to keep the deficit within double digits until a fast-break layup from junior Seth Beers pushed the lead to 10 points, 26-16. The Lions took advantage of the last two minutes of the half, putting together a run of their own and closing the deficit to four points headed into halftime.
 
Opening the second half, the Lions scored early to bring the deficit to one possession, but the Chargers proceeded to go on a 14-6 run in the first five minutes to make it 42-30. The run would be highlighted by a fast-break steal and dunk by senior Andrew Zentner who sent the crowd into a frenzy. The Chargers continued to pour on the defensive pressure and offensive attack, holding the Lions to just 15 points in the second half and a 24-point lead. The Lions managed to put together one final run, closing the lead to eight points, but it would be too late as the time ran out and the Chargers secured their 15th conference win of the year.
 
By the Numbers: The Chargers shot 51.9 percent (28-54) from the floor and 71.4 percent (10-14) on the free throw line… the Lions shot 42.6 percent (23-54) from the floor and 61 percent (11-18) from beyond the arc… the Chargers had 42 points in the paint and 16 points off turnovers… seniors Ethan Beachy and Shewbridge had 14 points tonight… Sareyka had 12 points and three assists… Alex Podolski had a game-high 17 points for the Lions.
 
Information to Know: The fifteenth conference win today marks the sixth time the Chargers have had fifteen or more conference wins in a season… Grant Sareyka eclipsed 1,000 points after his 12-point outing, making him the 25^th player to do so in school history… Jordan Shewbridge became the school's all-time leading scorer, passing Aubrey (Folger) Bird for a total of 2,144 points.
 
Up Next: The Chargers will be back at the Horst Athletic Center on Friday, February 24^th at 5:00 p.m. to take on the Wells College Express in the United East Semifinals.