FRANKLIN, Ind. – A slow start doomed detrimental for the Panthers (5-2 overall, 1-1 HCAC) as they dropped a early Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Franklin, 74-66.
The Grizzles dominated the opening minutes using the home crowd to fuel the fire. They netted nine straight points before senior
Coleman Sater (Ellettsville, Ind.) killed the surge, 9-2. The Franklin offense refused to be tamed, leading 14-2 at the 12:30 mark.
Head Coach
Jon Miller went to his bench in hopes of creating some offense. Sophomore
William Herald (Fort Thomas, Ky.) looked to do just that by drilling a three-pointer off a dish from sophomore
Cam Freeman (Indianapolis, Ind.). The Grizzlies continued to be the aggressors pushing the difference back to double digits with 8:46 remaining, 24-12. Sater was the key to the first-half comeback as the senior played big in the paint hitting a turnaround jumper to see the lead dwindle to 28-23.
Sophomore
CJ Walls (Louisville, Ky.) made his presence known with a pair of back-to-back scores that saw a double-digit advantage become just 30-29. Senior
Luke Miller (Madison, Ind.) tallied the final first-half points by either team connecting from long range.
Hanover continued the hunt for their first lead of the contest in the second half as three-pointers by Walls and Herald would find them within 45-42. The moment came at 14:44 on the clock as Walls netted his 11
th point of the afternoon putting HC on top, 46-45.
The Walls shooting clinic ensued with a three-pointer that propelled the confidence of the Panther offense, 52-47. Freshman
Malachi McNair found a layup when the Grizzles attempted a late-game push flipping the contest back in their favor. Franklin refused to let Sater be a factor triple-teaming the veteran to secure the HCAC win.
INSIDE THE STATS
Walls led the Panthers with a team-high 16 points while Sater added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 when they welcome Manchester to Collier Arena. The game time is slated for 3:00 PM.
