Defiance Looks to Clinch HCAC Championship with Win Against Transy
February 14, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – As the HCAC men’s basketball schedule hits the final week of play, seven teams remain in contention for a berth into the six-team conference post-season tournament. Defiance will look to capture the school’s second HCAC men’s basketball championship with a win over Transylvania Saturday afternoon. Transy and Anderson have each secured a berth into the tournament and will try and lock down one of the top two spots to earn a first round bye. Franklin, Hanover, Rose-Hulman, and Bluffton will look to make the field of six. The Grizzlies need one more win to clinch a spot, while HC, RH, and BU will battle it out over the next week. Mount St. Joseph and Manchester were eliminated from conference tournament consideration after last week’s play.
Defiance (16-6, 11-2 HCAC) will search for their first men’s basketball conference championship since the 2000-01 season as the Jackets try and clinch the championship against Transylvania. DC defeated the Pioneers 98-65 earlier this season in Lexington. Last week, Defiance defeated Rose-Hulman 57-40 and Manchester 79-71 in overtime. Junior center Anthony Pettaway (Toledo, Ohio/Bowsher) notched his fourth straight double-double, scoring 21 points and adding 10 rebounds against Rose-Hulman and 27 points and 15 rebounds at Manchester. Pettaway has averaged 14.9 points per game and ranks third in the HCAC with 8.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard C.J. Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) leads the league in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game. As a team, the Jackets pace the conference in scoring margin (+10.8 ppg), field goal percentage defense (44.2%), and three point field goal percentage defense (31.6%). After Saturday’s date with Transylvania, DC will look to avenge an earlier loss to Franklin and close the regular season at home against Rose-Hulman.
Transylvania (14-8, 9-4 HCAC) has locked up a spot in the HCAC tournament, but still has its sites on a conference championship or first round bye. The Pioneers won at Bluffton 60-57 and came from behind to defeat Mount St. Joseph 77-73 in Lexington. Sophomore guard Tim Tierney (Ft. Wright, Ky./ Covington Catholic) scored 19 points to lead TU against Bluffton. Junior forward Joey Verax (Falmouth, Ky./Pendleton Co.) scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds in the win over the Mount. TU will look to stay in the conference championship hunt against Defiance Saturday afternoon. If they lose to the Jackets, a second place finish and first round bye is the best the Pioneers can do. Transy will look for a split of the season series with Hanover and a sweep of Bluffton to close out the conference season.
Anderson (13-10, 9-5 HCAC) earned another conference win to run its win streak to six in a row and also clinched a spot in the post-season tournament. The Ravens won at Rose-Hulman 49-44 Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the six-team field. Sophomore guard Ryan Fultz (Knightstown, Ind./H.S.) scored 14 points and junior guard Mike Russell (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) chipped in 12 points to lead the Ravens. AU leads the conference in scoring (75.0 ppg), blocks (71), and steals (11.0 pg) this season. Anderson will try and hold its position in the conference standings with a crucial showdown with Franklin Saturday afternoon. The Grizzlies defeated Anderson 95-77 a month ago at Franklin. The Ravens will close the schedule on the road at Manchester February 20.
Franklin (14-8, 8-5 HCAC) ran its win streak to four in a row after knocking off Mount St. Joseph and Hanover this past week. The Grizzlies need one more win in their last three contests to lock up a spot in the conference tournament. Sophomore guard Sean Drake (Shelbyville, Ind./H.S.) scored 19 points to lead the Grizzlies in the 78-72 win over MSJ. Senior forward Marty Young (Norman, Ind./Brownstown Central) led FC with 16 points and nine rebounds in the 66-51 win at rival Hanover. Young ranks second in the HCAC with 16.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies will look for the season sweep of Anderson Saturday afternoon before a home date with conference-leading Defiance. FC will close the regular season on the road against Mount St. Joseph February 23.
Hanover (11-11, 7-6 HCAC) split a pair of conference games last week to fall into the fifth spot in the standings. The Panthers began the week with a 71-61 win against Manchester and ended with a 66-51 home loss to Franklin. Senior forward Brock Dawson (West Lafayette, Ind./ Benton Central) scored 20 points against Manchester and 14 points vs. Franklin to lead Hanover in each game. The Panthers have struggled to get a win streak together as of late, alternating wins and losses in each of their last 10 ballgames. Hanover will travel to Bluffton to try and earn a split with the Beavers Saturday afternoon. HC will look for season sweeps of Transylvania and Manchester to finish the schedule.
Rose-Hulman (10-13, 6-8 HCAC) dropped two big games last week, falling at home to Defiance and Anderson. The Engineers have lost three of their last four games, but still hold the sixth and final spot in the race for the conference tournament. Senior guard Ron George (Louisville, Ky./Dupont Manual) scored 11 points in the 57-40 loss to Defiance and added 14 points in the 49-44 defeat to Anderson. Rose will look for a very important win at home against Manchester Saturday afternoon before traveling to first place Defiance February 23 to end the regular season. RHIT currently leads Bluffton by a half game in the race for sixth place.
Bluffton (11-11, 5-8 HCAC) continues to struggle down the stretch and has seen its losing streak reach six in a row. The Beavers dropped a 60-57 decision at home and has not won since January 16. Junior guard Colt Cunningham (Powell, Ohio/Worthington Christian) scored 17 points in the loss to the Pioneers. Bluffton’s last win was a 73-71 win at home against Mount St. Joseph and those two squads will meet on February 20 in Cincinnati. BU will look for the season sweep of Hanover Saturday afternoon and will close the season on the road against Transylvania.
Men’s Basketball Schedule (Feb. 14-Feb. 23)
Feb. 16 |
Transylvania at Defiance |
3:00 PM |
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Manchester at Rose-Hulman |
3:00 PM |
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Franklin at Anderson |
3:00 PM |
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Hanover at Bluffton |
3:00 PM |
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Feb. 20 |
Defiance at Franklin |
7:30 PM |
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Transylvania at Hanover |
7:30 PM |
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Anderson at Manchester |
7:30 PM |
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Bluffton at Mount St. Joseph |
7:30 PM |
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Feb. 23 |
Rose-Hulman at Defiance |
3:00 PM |
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Bluffton at Transylvania |
3:00 PM |
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Franklin at Mount St. Joseph |
3:00 PM |
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Hanover at Manchester |
5:00 PM |
End of Regular Season |
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