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ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Lancaster Bible's 2-17 record may not strike fear into many opponents, but a look beneath the record shows a gritty team that never quits. Elizabethtown found that out first hand Monday night, as they trailed for more than 25 minutes before bouncing back for a razor thin 61-57 non-conference victory at Thompson Gymnasium.

Joe Schwalm and Will Schlosser willed the Blue Jays (7-12) back into the game in the final 20 minutes, breathing life into an offense that was gasping for oxygen before halftime. Schwalm didn't leave the floor in the second half, nailing four 3-pointers on six attempts and scoring 16 of his game-high 18 points.

Schlosser accounted for all but two of his 17 points in the frame as well, helping the Jays outscore Lancaster Bible (2-17) 40-28, and saving them from what could have been a second straight empty Monday.

Both teams struggled to find the basket early on, as the game was tied at four five minutes in. Consecutive layups from Hempfield product Lee Eckert pushed E-town in front 8-4 with 13:56 left, but the rest of the half was all Chargers.

Dan Karl equaled his season average of 13 points before halftime, and Dondre Perry scored seven for LBC, which ended the half by scoring 19 of the final 27 points to take a 29-21 lead to the locker room.

Elizabethtown misfired on all seven of its 3-pointers in the first period and was just 9-of-30 (30%) from the floor. Lancaster Bible was a good deal better at 12-of-26 (46%).

The Blue Jays' were forced to work twice as hard in the second half, given the hole they dug themselves before the break. Corey Leonard's layup had the visitors up seven with 8:29 to play.

Schwalm hit a three and Schlosser sank a pair at the foul line to bring E-town back within 50-48, but it was almost immediately negated by Karl's three from the left wing, his only basket of the second half.

But the Chargers downfall all season cruelly turned out to cause its demise again. Inability to close out games has hampered a team that came into the night with six losses of 10 points or less. Lancaster Bible made just one field goal over the final 6:21, a Luke Roundy layup with 23 seconds to go that kept LBC within striking distance at 59-57.

Andrew Mantz then missed the front end of a one-and-one with 16 seconds left, giving the Chargers another shot. Karl drove, but was contested, and his layup bounced off the rim and into the hands of Schlosser. The Elizabethtown native, and son of head coach Bob Schlosser, cooly swished two freebies to make it 61-57 with only two seconds left up on the clock.

Schlosser set a new season-high in points for the second game in a row. Front line players Mantz and Eckert each scored seven, though the Chargers doubled up the Blue Jays in paint scoring, 32-16, and won the rebounding battle, 34-29.

The 6-foot-9 Roundy, 6-foot-7 Jon Bird and 6-foot-5 Leonard disturbed the Jays inside all night, but the trio could not replicate their defensive prowess at the other end. Together they combined for 21 of LBC's 34 boards, but also contributed just 14 points.

Perry aided Karl's 16 points with 13. Keith Keltner had eight. Phil Wenger was his typical pesky self on defense for E-town, again registering a four-steal game, his third in the team's last four contests.

Elizabethtown, which closed out its regular season non-conference schedule tonight, moves forward to face Arcadia on the road Wednesday at 8 p.m.