Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky. – Hanover dropped a heart-breaking battle on Wednesday evening as part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The Panthers, who advanced to their second consecutive title match-up, fell in the contest 69-65.
 
The Blue and Red were paced by sophomore Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind.) with a team-high 14 points. Freshman Maddi Sears (Carmel, Ind.) chipped in 13 points, while teammate junior Liz Tynan (Columbus, Ind.) added 10 points. As a unit, Hanover forced 14 turnovers and netted a game-high 35 points from the bench.
Wilder and Tynan tallied All-Tournament team honors for their efforts. 
 
The opening stanza saw the Panthers jump out to the 4-0 lead paced by a three-pointer from Tynan. However, the Pioneers tied the contest before a sophomore Anna Bauer (Indianapolis, Ind.) layup pushed HC back in front. The back-an-forth battle continued when a short Transylvania run propelled them to the 10-6 advantage. The Panthers scrapped their way back into the contest using the final minute to pull within 18-14.
 
Hanover carried the momentum into the second period as they used a 6-0 run to knot the score at 23-23 with 6:03 remaining. But once again the Pioneers flipped the script when Sears delivered a blow in the paint that pulled Hanover back within 28-27. Hanover went on to tie the contest once more in the stanza as Tynan hit a jumper at the 1:24 mark. The Panthers entered the intermission trailing in a tight 35-33 battle.  
 
Transylvania opened the second half with a pair of quick scores when freshman Skylar Sahatjian (Prospect, Ky.) hit a three-pointer at the 1:57 point to spark a 7-0 Hanover run. During the stretch, Wilder chipped in a jumper while senior Savannah Courtney (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) hit a free-throw that tied the score at 48-48 through three complete periods.
 
The final period would see Hanover claim the 58-54 lead after back-to-back scores from Wilder and Sears. Following a TU timeout, Wilder delivered once more hitting a jumper off an assist from Courtney with 6:04 to play to see Hanover claim the 60-57 advantage. The Panther defense played a key role late in the contest as they forced a timely turnover that ultimately resulted in a Courtney layup in the lane giving HC the 65-64 lead with just 52 seconds to play. However, the Pioneers were able to secure the contest at the free throw line claiming the Tournament victory, 69-65.

Hanover concludes the 2020-2021 campaign at 9-4 overall and advanced to their second consecutive HCAC Tournament title match-up.