LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Hanover men's basketball team took on Transylvania on Saturday afternoon as part of the semifinal round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The Panthers bowed out after a buzzer beater by the Pioneers sent them to victory, 76-75.
 
Hanover was led in the contest by sophomore Ty Houston (Union, Ky.) tying a game-high 26 points with seven rebounds. Senior Mark Albers (Pendleton, Ind.) chipped in 20 points, while junior Noah Williams (Jeffersonville, Ind.) netted 11 points.
 
Hanover surged ahead early in the first half using a series of runs to claim the 13-5 advantage. However, Transylvania responded slowly chipping at the difference cutting it to 21-18 with just under 10 minutes to play. Houston deemed clutch late into the half as he hit a pair of back-to-back scores that saw Hanover extend the lead once more. The Panthers entered the break with the 37-31 advantage.
 
The second half saw the Panthers open up strong as back-to-back scores by senior Connor Washburn (Indianapolis, Ind.) and freshman Max Greenamoyer (Zionsville, Ind.) extended the Hanover lead 41-33. But again, the Pioneers refused to go away as a 10-0 run flipped the script, seeing them claim the 52-48 advantage. The next several minutes would be a back-and-forth battle when a freshman Josiah Ricketts three-pointer knotted the score.
 
The Panthers gained the 69-68 advantage with just over a minute to play as an Albers layup sparked a 5-0 run. However, Transylvania was able to rally taking the slim 74-73 lead when a pair of Williams free throws gave HC the one-point lead with nine seconds remaining. That's all the time the Pioneers needed as a layup as time expired propelled them to victory.
 
Hanover concluded the 2021 season at 8-5 overall with a 6-1 home record.