But considering FC had dropped eight straight contests to the Panthers coming in, winning wasn't going to be a simple task in any manner of speaking.
But Franklin got it done with a balanced scoring attack, another sensational substitute effort from sophomore Brandon Ray and a strong offense all the way around in topping Hanover 89-77.
The verdict gave FC a second-place finish in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference at 10-4 and raised the Grizzlies’ overall record to 18-7. The Grizzlies will host a first-round game as the No. 2 seed in next week’s annual league tournament. Hanover dropped to 9-5 in the HCAC and 16-9.
Franklin outfought the Panthers in a bruising contest that featured 50 combined fouls and 71 total free throw attempts.
Though the Grizzlies gradually built a 17-point lead against the cold-shooting visitors in the opening half, Hanover stayed within striking distance by hitting 15 of 18 foul shots. Franklin took a 49-36 lead into the intermission.
In the second period, the Panthers closed to within 10 points early in the half before Franklin led by as many as 23 points on four occasions. But Hanover refused to go away and methodically chipped away at FC’s advantage to pull within six points at 81-75 with just 4:04 remaining.
With the momentum seemingly on the Panthers’ side, Grizzlies freshman guard Jace Redman swished a 3-point bomb with 3:01 to go. The Panthers answered with a lay-up by Brian Chrin, but FC’s Nick Kane followed with a jump shot in the lane and the Grizzlies added three free throws in the last 1-1/2 minutes to seal the deal for the hosts.
Franklin’s Ray supplied a double-double for the second consecutive game, posting game-best totals in both points (22) and rebounds (11). Redman followed with 18 points – tying his career-high total – and had four assists. Kane had 17 points and five rebounds, Jon Neill chipped in 11 points and four steals and Dustin Marshall contributed seven points and a career-best eight assists.
Hanover was led by Marc O’Leary, who hit four 3-pointers and had 16 points. Chrin had 13 points and nine rebounds and Nate Minyard and Dan O’Leary added 11 points each.