Yellow Jackets Suffer Heartbreaking Loss in HCAC Finals

Franklin at Defiance - HCAC Finals Box Score

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance proved itself to be the best team in the HCAC throughout the regular season and looked to be well on its way to claiming the HCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday, before No. 2 seeded Franklin overcame an 11-point deficit to take the 82-76 victory.

The Jackets turned in an inspiring effort but in the end could not match the long-range firepower of the Grizzlies. FC sank 11-of-20 attempts from beyond the arc and Dustin Marshall’s 21 points and five treys in the second half led the comeback.

DC came out fast once again, building an early 17-9 advantage and riding a 10-point lead into the intermission. The Jackets penetrated at will on the Franklin defense, as Mike Floyd and C.J. Johnson consistently got into the paint to set up multiple easy looks for Defiance.

Despite connecting on only one-of-eight attempts from three-point range, Defiance shot 62.5 percent in the opening stanza behind 19-of-24 shooting from inside the arc. The efficient scoring was highlighted by 32 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes of action.

DC’s 47-37 halftime lead grew to an 11-point cushion at 57-46 with 16:10 left in the game before Franklin began its charge. Johnson countered a Jace Redman trey with a hoop of his own to temporarily maintain the double-digit lead, but Franklin stepped up its defense and continued to knock down one clutch shot after another. Ultimately, the Grizzlies mounted a 33-17 rally over the final 16 minutes to erase the 11-point deficit and come away with the 82-76 victory and the 2008 HCAC Tournament Championship.

The difference proved to be a combination of outside shooting and Franklin’s knack for turning DC miscues into scoring opportunities. Franklin had 18 more points from downtown and outscored the Jackets, 21-7, in points off turnovers.

Johnson and Bryan Post each ended their careers at the Karl H. Weaner Community Center with the heartbreaking defeat. Johnson led the Jackets with 17 points and will go down as the 15th-leading scorer in program history with 1,374 points to his credit. Post turned in one of his best performances of the year with nine points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

The senior duo guided Defiance to back-to-back appearances in the HCAC Finals and 36 wins over the past two seasons. The 36 victories are the most for any DC team over a two-year span since the Jackets posted 38 wins in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 campaigns.

The seniors had plenty of help on Saturday, as Anthony Pettaway added 14 points and seven boards, Anthony Jackson picked up 10 points and Floyd had eight points, five helpers and a pair of steals.

Johnson and Pettaway were also each named to the 2008 HCAC All-Tournament Team for their fine performances in DC’s two games. Johnson shot 50 percent and netted 32 points in the two-day tournament, while Pettaway scored 37 points and hauled down 18 rebounds, while shooting 68 percent from the floor.

Johnson and Pettaway are each likely First-Team All-HCAC selections and HCAC Player of the Year candidates. Those accolades will be announced next week by the HCAC office.