NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Hanover Panthers (15-6 overall, 14-2 HCAC) locked in the no. 2 seed as part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament after defeating Manchester on Saturday afternoon, 88-59.
 
Hanover was led in the contest by junior Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Katherine Benter (Brownstown, Ind.) added 16 points and eight rebounds while senior Anna Bauer (Indianapolis, Ind.) pulled in 10 rebounds.
 
The Blue and Red opened the contest on a 6-0 run before propelling to the 20-10 lead following a Benter dagger. The first half scoring frenzy continued as Bezold and junior Taylor Heath (Fairland, Ind.) netted back-to-back blows helping to push the HC difference to 33-21.
 
With just under three minutes to play in the second quarter, Hanover used an 8-0 run to enter the intermission leading 43-28.
 
The second half was all gas as the 8-0 run spilled over into the third quarter propelling the Panthers to the 47-28 advantage. Bezold and Benter appeared to be the perfect one-two punch as they once again sank back-to-back shots.
 
With the contest well in hand, the Panther bench went to work as freshman Lily Ernstes (North Vernon, Ind.) and junior Addie Gardner (Anderson, Ind.) found success in the lane. The rest was history as the Blue and Red secured the HCAC victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 14 when they welcome no. 2 ranked Transylvania to Collier Arena. Game time is set for 7:00 PM.