HANOVER, Ind. – The Panthers defended home court on Saturday afternoon knocking off previously unbeaten Franklin, 68-60. With the win, Hanover moves to 4-1 overall on the season.
 
The Panthers landed four players in double figures led by freshman Maddi Sears (Carmel, Ind. / University) with a team-high 11 points. Senior Savannah Courtney (Lawrenceburg, Ky. / Franklin County), sophomore Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind. / Jennings County) and junior Liz Tynan (Columbus, Ind. / Columbus North) all added 10 points apiece.
 
The opening stanza saw Hanover surge to the 6-0 lead paced by sophomore Anna Bauer
(Indianapolis, Ind. / Roncalli) with a pair of jumpers. The tenacious Panther defense cranked up the full court intensity forcing a series of turnovers that resulted in a Hanover 12-2 advantage with just under five minutes remaining. The Panthers would claim their largest lead of the period moments later as a pair of Courtney free-throws pushed the difference to 18-5. However, Franklin was able to remain poise and cut into the Hanover lead using a short run of their own to pull within 18-11.
 
The Grizzlies carried the momentum into the second quarter as they knotted the contest at 22-22 with 6:46 to play before the break. Both teams would be held scoreless for several minutes when a Tynan layup gave Hanover the slim advantage. The Panthers carried the lead into the half as a freshman Skylar Sahatjian (Prospect, Ky. / South Oldham) jumper propelled them in front, 28-26.
 
Hanover built on the advantage in the second half as three-pointers by junior Lexi Riggles (Danville, Ind. / Danville Community) and freshman Reese Sexton (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption) extend the Hanover advantage to 42-28 at the 7:07 mark. However, the Panthers would see their lead dwindle to as little as seven points when a freshman Addie Gardner (Anderson, Ind. / Frankton) three-pointer pushed the difference back to 49-39. Wilder closed out the period for the Blue and Red with a fast break layup keeping the 51-42 advantage in favor of the home team.
 
The final period saw Franklin pull within 51-46 following back-to-back scores with 7:55 remaining. But the hot shooting from behind the arc continued for the Panthers as a Sears three-pointer halted the Grizzlies at the 6:41 mark. The Hanover defense deemed the deciding factor late in the contest as a series of Franklin turnovers secured the Panther victory. With the win, Hanover hands Franklin their first loss of the season.