Hanover College and Franklin College will battle Saturday, Feb. 28, for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.
The Panthers and Grizzlies advanced to the conference's tournament finale with lopsided victories in the semifinals, held Friday, Feb. 27, in Collier Arena. Hanover used a second-half run to pull away from Defiance College (OH) for a 79-54 win. Franklin hammered Manchester College 81-53 in the first semifinal tilt.
The league's championship contest will tip off at 7:30 in Collier Arena.
Hanover (25-1) hit 12 of its first 13 shots in the second to break open a close game. The Panthers shot 71.4 percent in the period (20-of-28) and outrebounded Defiance 40-20 in the contest.
Sophomore forward Ben Lye led the Panthers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Junior center Tommy Dennis added 15 points and six rebounds.
Senior guard Thad McCracken and junior guard Matt Moore each scored 13 points. The output pushed both players past 1,000 career points. Moore has netted 1,008 points for the Panthers. McCracken has canned 1,001 points.
Freshman guard Ryan Bruley led Defiance with 17 points. Sophomore Curt Croy added 16 points for the Yellow Jackets (12-14).
Freshman forward Darrius Jackson scored 26 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Franklin to the 81-53 win, which ranks as the most-lopsided semifinal victory in the league's history. The Grizzlies (16-11) shot 57.1 percent from the floor (28-of-49), including 61.5 percent (16-of-26) to help the squad outscore Manchester 53-29 in the second period.
Freshman guard Sydney McDaniel led Manchester with 21 points. The Spartans close the season with an 18-9 mark.
The champion of the HCAC men's tournament earns the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. The men's tourney begins Thursday, March 4.