LANCASTER, PA – This marks the seventh straight year Lancaster Bible College and The University of Valley Forge have squared off in the NCCAA East Region Championship.  The familiar opponents went up against each other in mid-January, with the Chargers coming out on top, 76-69.
 
The Chargers came into the contest with an astounding 24-3 record.  Their last loss came in the NCAA III NEAC Conference Championship against SUNY Cobleskill, 46-49.  Meanwhile, the Patriots finished their regular season 16-9, winning their last 7 of 8 contests.
 
After their previous game, an 85-82 victory over Central Penn College, Patriots' Head Coach Jon Mack spoke about needing to value every single possession in the playoffs.  They needed to limit turnovers and take good shots.  In the first half of this game, they did not accomplish that task.  As a result, they were not able to set up their defense and LBC got out in transition.
 
Plagued by turnovers, poor shot selection, and foul trouble, the Patriots saw themselves trailing 14-4 in the opening minutes.  Senior Jean LeBlanc did his part to help the Patriots stay with the Chargers.  He rattled off 8 straight points to make the score 21-15 at the 8:58 mark.  However, over the next two minutes the Chargers went on a 9-2 run to build a 13-point lead.  The Patriots responded again by cutting the lead down to five, but the Chargers went on another run to take a 38-26 lead into halftime.
 
Jean LeBlanc carried the Patriots in the first half, totaling up 12 points and 3 steals.  For the half, the Patriots had 12 turnovers and piled up 15 fouls.  If they were going to make a run in the second half, they needed to get to their game and start taking care of the basketball. 
 
The second half started out well for the Patriots.  They trimmed the lead down to eight (39-31) after another LeBlanc layup.  However, the home team went on another big scoring run, 15-4, and pushed the lead out to 19, 54-34.  This time the Patriots were not able to respond and the Chargers caught fire from outside, knocking in 5-9 from 3-point range in the second half alone.  It was too much to overcome for the Patriots.  The Chargers cruised on to victory, 84-64, and with it the NCCAA II East Region Championship.
 
LeBlanc finished with a game-high 21 points and 4 steals.  Fellow senior Kevin Mack had 13 points and 3 assists.

Although the Patriots were not victorious on this night, their regular season was good enough to earn them an At-Large bid for the NCCAA II National Tournament in Circleville, Ohio.  They will be the #6 seed in the tournament and their first match-up will be on Thursday, March 12^th.  Stay tuned for more details!
 
Go Patriots!