Box Score HANOVER, Ind. – Hanover (13-5 overall, 10-1 HCAC) celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon welcoming Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton. Prior to the contest the Panthers recognized seniors
Anna Bauer (Indianapolis, Ind.) and
Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind.). The Blue and Red claimed the nail-biting victory 60-55.
Hanover was led in the contest by sophomore
Katherine Benter (Brownstown, Ind.) with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore
Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) added 14 points while junior
Taylor Heath (Fairland, Ind.) netted 10 points and dished out 10 assists.
In a highly competitive contest, the Panthers looked to run the floor with Benter pacing the attack. The. sophomore provided back-to-back blows propelling HC into the first media timeout leading 7-6. Junior
Reese Sexton (Louisville, Ky.) showed her range using a three-pointer before a Bezold jumper sent HC into the second quarter with the double-digit advantage, 21-10.
The offense continued to be all gas as senior
Callie Wilder got the offensive rebound and lay-in pushing the difference to 25-12. But Bluffton slowly chipped at the deficit using a strong run to enter the intermission trailing 29-27.
However, much like the opening moments of the first half the Panther offense erupted netting seven straight points for the 36-27 lead. Sophomore
Kady Clancy (Scottsburg, Ind.) settled in providing a pair of Panther blows when the Beavers once again responded knotting the contest at 40-40.
The final frame saw a nail biter between the two teams as Bluffton threw the first punch en route to their largest lead to date 43-40. Hanover remained poise as Wilder netted a pair of free throws before a junior
Taylor Heath (Fairland, Ind.) jumper cut the difference to 47-46. Clancy tied the contest at the 3:12 mark before Heath gave HC the 53-51 lead. The Panther defense stepped up huge as they forced a late game turnover, and the senior Wilder handled the rest propelling Hanover to victory.
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 28 when they hit the road for HCAC opponent Defiance. Game time is set for 12:00 PM.
