The #3-seed Lancaster Bible College Men's Basketball team is bringing home the hardware from Point Lookout, Mo. as they defeated #4-seed Columbia International by a score of 82-75 on Saturday afternoon, claiming the NCCAA Division I National Championship for their first-ever DI title and their second NCCAA title in program history. The Chargers complete their season at 23-8 overall and end National Champions, while the Rams end their 2025-26 season at 22-11 overall and NCCAA National Runners-Up.
How it Happened:
After CIU got the scoring started,
Camden Hurst (Jr.) got LBC started with a pair of free throws, then
Landon Zeiset (Fr.) scored for the Chargers to give them a 4-3 lead. The lead went back and forth before
Reaves Hooks (Sr.) hit a pair of buckets to put LBC up three at 10-7, but the Rams responded with a three to tie it up five minutes in.
Connor Storr (Jr.) then went 3-3 at the free throw line to put LBC back up, then over the next six minutes the Chargers powered ahead on an 11-0 scoring run, including baskets by Hurst and
Jacob Lewis (Fr.) and a 3-pointer by Hooks to cap the big run.
Bennett Bowers (So.) then hit a three to put LBC up 13 points, then scored in transition later on to maintain a dozen-point lead. The Rams got the deficit back to within seven as the half winded down, but Hooks capped his strong half with a corner three in the final seconds as the Chargers led by 10 points at 37-27 at the halftime break.
Hurst had a pair of scores and Bowers got a pair at the charity stripe in the early portion of the first half as the Chargers maintained a steady lead. Lewis then got a layup underneath to make it 47-37 LBC, then CIU got a pair of scores to cut the lead to six before Bowers hit another pair from the line and Hurst drove for a layup to get the lead back to nine. The Rams continued to stay close as they kept within six as
Trey Grube (Jr.) and Bowers got layups to go, but CIU cut it to just four at 55-51 before a Hurst layup to fend them off. The Rams then cut it to just two points, then the Chargers separated with five in a row on another Hooks three and a layup by
Daniel King (Jr.) to get the lead to 64-55. CIU then got back to five points down, then Hurst scored back-to-back jumpers to get it right back to a nine-point lead. The Rams then powered back to within one possession at 69-67, but a tough and-one layup by Hurst got LBC up five, sparking a 7-0 burst from LBC as good free throw shooting stretched the lead back to nine. CIU would not go away as they knocked down a three with 43 seconds left to cut the score to 78-75, but a wide-open layup by
Mark Heidebrecht (Sr.) helped seal the deal for the Chargers as they took down the Rams 82-75 to secure their first-ever NCCAA Division I Championship.
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers shot 40-percent from the floor, 22-percent from 3-point range, and shot 84-percent from the free throw line
- The Rams shot 37-percent from the floor, 17-percent from three, and 66-percent on free throws
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Camden Hurst led the Chargers with another 27-point performance, adding five rebounds and two assists to earn Tournament Most Outstanding Player
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Bennett Bowers reached double-figures with 15 points on perfect 8-8 shooting from the charity stripe
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Reaves Hooks added 15 points on 3-5 from deep off the bench
- The Rams were led by Johnny Whysong with 12 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double
From the Coach:
"Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that our thoughts fail to align with God's thoughts and our ways of doing things are different than his.
Four weeks ago we suffered a tough loss in the conference semifinals and fell short of accomplishing our team goal. It was a major blow to our team mentally and physically. We never talked about or set goals to compete for a NCCAA National Championship. Our plans and goals were winning the conference tournament and playing in the NCAA Tournament...but God had a different way of using our team to impact others for Him. That 'different way' was through a loss, a very tough loss. God shows us repeatedly in his word that his blueprint for expanding his kingdom often involves uncommon methods. We see this played out in the lives of Abraham, Gideon, Joshua, and others in Scripture.
I am very proud of our team for embracing the NCCAA postseason opportunity and allowing God to use us in a different way than what we originally planned.
Brian Smith, the author of the Christian Athlete, writes, 'When something bad happens you have three choices. You either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.' Today, we experienced greater strength and faith in God for what he did through us this season to impact others for Christ. The great moment of winning the national championship today will eventually fade, but the journey of how God used us this season to further his Kingdom will last forever!
It truly is all about the journey..."
~ Head Coach Jon Mack
Information to Know:
This win marks the Chargers' second NCCAA National Title in program history and their first as a member of NCCAA Division I, winning the Division II National Title back in 2015 in Circleville, Ohio. This is the second-ever National Championship for Lancaster Bible across all programs and is the school's first title in 11 years. The Chargers have broken the program's single-season scoring record after dropping 2,796 total points during the 2025-26 season, toppling the previous record of 2,637 set during the 2015-16 season.
Camden Hurst wraps his 2025-26 campaign with 661 total points, the most ever in a single season in LBC's NCAA Division III history and the fourth-highest single-season total in program history overall. Hurst also joins CJ Dunston as the second NCCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in program history as he won the award back in 2015 for LBC's Division II National Title. Both
Camden Hurst and
Connor Storr were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts in the National Championship Tournament, with Hurst averaging 23.3 points per game across three games and Storr averaging 13.7 points per game and recording two double-doubles against both Clinton College (Quarterfinal) and Nelson AIC (Semifinal). Head coach
Jon Mack earns his first-ever National Championship as a head coach in his 7th season with Lancaster Bible and his 128th win as the head coach of the Chargers, the second-most wins by a head coach in program history.
This concludes the 2025-26 season for the LBC Men's Basketball team. Congratulations to the Chargers on a fantastic season and bringing home a NCCAA National Championship!!
