HANOVER, Ind. – The Franklin men's basketball team achieved a program milestone on Saturday (Feb. 15) afternoon and secured at least the second seed in the upcoming Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament with a 61-57 win over arch rival Hanover.
 
The Grizzlies (18-6, 14-3 HCAC) set a new program record for conference wins and completed their first regular season sweep of the Panthers (14-10, 10-7 HCAC) since the 2008-09 season in the process. Four Franklin players finished the game in double figures, with all 61 of Franklin's points coming from the starting lineup.
 
How it Happened
Both defenses dictated play in the first half, with both teams shooting under 35% from the field in the first 20 minutes. The two teams exchanged seven leads and five ties with the biggest lead for either team in the first half being five points. Nothing was solved through 20 minutes of play, and the two sides headed into the break tied at 24.
 
The game's first big run went to the Grizzlies, with a 10-0 Franklin run early in the second half opening up the largest lead of the day at 39-30 with six minutes played. Franklin held their lead until the 7:10 mark of the second half when a Coleman Sater bucket put Hanover up 47-45.
 
The hosts held their lead until there was 3:20 left in the ball game when Cody Samples earned three points the old-fashioned way to put Franklin in front 55-54. The Grizzlies' defense shut the Panthers down the rest of the way, conceding just one field goal the rest of the game and closing out the win with clutch buckets on the offensive end.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin shot 38.5% (20-for-52) from the floor, going 7-for-20 from three and 14-for-19 from the line.
-Defensively, the Grizzlies kept Hanover to 35.8% (19-for-53) from the field and 4-for-18 from long range.
-Braden Flanagan and Cooper Matthews each had 15 points to lead the Grizzlies.
-Jessie Morgan III poured in 12 points with Samples adding 10 points.
-Rebounds were 39-35 in Franklin's favor, with Matthews, Morgan and Lynn King each grabbing eight boards.
-Both teams took good care of the ball, with turnovers 11-10 in Hanover's favor.
-The Grizzlies earned their first win at Collier Arena since winning the 2022 HCAC Championship game, 91-84.
 
Post-Season Outlook
The regular season conference championship will be up for grabs on Wednesday (Feb. 19) night, with Franklin and Anderson vying for the number one seed in the HCAC Tournament. Both teams will enter the night 14-3 in the HCAC with Anderson holding the tie-breaker by winning the regular season series. Anderson hosts Bluffton in the regular season finale while Franklin will travel to Manchester to finish out the season.
 
Up Next
The Grizzlies and Manchester will tip off on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in North Manchester, Ind.