FRANKLIN, Ind. – Fourth quarter woes doomed the Panthers as they fell to area-rival Franklin on Thursday evening, 63-54. Hanover moves to 3-1 overall on the season.
 
The Panthers were paced in the contest by the freshman duo of Skylar Sahatjian (Prospect, Ky. / South Oldham) and Addie Gardner (Anderson, Ind. / Frankton) tying a team-best 10 points apiece. Senior Savannah Courtney (Lawrenceburg, Ky. / Franklin County) chipped in nine points for the Blue and Red.
 
The opening quarter saw the Panthers erase a seven-point deficit following a 9-0 run paced by Courtney. Hanover carried the momentum into the final seconds as a freshman Reese Sexton (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption) free throw gave the Panthers the 14-12 advantage.
 
 The second quarter would see a slow start from both teams before another Hanover run led by Sahatjian with just over 4:00 minutes remaining propelled the Panthers in front 25-15. The Blue and Red claimed their largest lead of the half, 29-18 off a pair of junior Lexi Riggles (Danville, Ind. / Danville Community) free throws with 1:26 remaining. The Grizzlies got the final score of the half to cut the deficit to 29-20.
 
Hanover came out the gate quick in the second half, leading by as many as 35-22 following a sophomore Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind. / Jennings County) layup at the 5:50 mark. But Franklin slowly began to chip away cutting the difference to 45-37 with one period remaining.
 
The Grizzlies carried the momentum into the final stanza as they used a 14-0 run over a four-minute span to capture 57-51 advantage. They would carry the lead late into the contest securing the 63-54 victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, January 30, at 1:00 PM when they welcome Franklin to Collier Arena.