NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team tipped off the post-season on Sunday (Feb. 18) afternoon, entering the 2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament as the fifth-seed and facing off with fourth-seeded Manchester.
 
The two teams locked in for an absolute battle all afternoon, with 14 lead changes and 11 ties between the two sides. In the end, the Grizzlies (12-14) couldn't pull in front of the Spartans (16-10) in the final minute, falling 76-73 and seeing their season come to a close.
 
How it Happened
The game's first big run came midway through the first half, with Manchester using a 10-2 run to open up the biggest lead of the game at 27-20 with 5:48 to go in the first half. Franklin answered with seven straight points to tie things up late in the half, but Manchester would take a 30-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Spartans opened up a 35-29 early in the second half, but three straight Franklin buckets down low knotted things up at 35 with 16 minutes to play, setting the stage for a close battle the rest of the way.
 
Two straight baskets from Malachi Archey and Jessie Morgan opened up Franklin's biggest lead of the game at 52-48 with nine minutes to play. Franklin stayed in front until the game's final three minutes, and the two teams sat tied at 66 with 2:19 to play after two Ryan Bostic free throws.
 
Five straight Spartan points followed before Franklin stopped the run with a Braden Flanagan three made it 72-71 Manchester with 8 seconds to play. The Spartans closed things out by knocking down all four of their free throws in the final seconds and keeping Franklin from a look at a game-tying three.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 50.8% (30-for-59) from the floor but struggled from deep, going 4-for-17.
-Manchester knocked down 46.8% (22-for-47) of their field goals, going 9-for-24 from deep and 23-for-28 from the line.
-Jessie Morgan led the Grizzlies with 20 points and nine rebounds.
-Jack Hendricks added 16 points and Ryan Bostic had 12 for the Grizzlies.
-Rebounds were 29-25 in Franklin's favor.