Jackets Miss Chance to Clinch, Fall at Franklin

FRANKLIN, Ind. – Nick Sales led DC with his eighth double-double and combined with Anthony Pettaway for 38 points on 16-of-19 shooting, but it was not enough to overcome a flurry of three-point shots from Franklin as the Grizzlies handed Defiance an 88-77 loss.

The defeat ended DC’s hopes of claiming the regular season Heartland Conference Championship and leaves the Jackets needing to pick up a victory against Transylvania on Saturday to secure a spot in the conference tournament.

Defiance would punch its ticket to the HCAC Tournament with a win on Saturday in its regular season finale, or a loss by Manchester and Mount St. Joseph in their remaining contests.

The Jackets missed the opportunity to clinch one game early thanks in large part to a blistering long-distance attack from Franklin, which netted 13-of-27 attempts from beyond the arc and outscored Defiance by a 55-25 margin outside of the key.

Both sides shot the ball very well as DC missed just seven shots in the second half en route to shooting 60 percent for the game. The Grizzlies kept pace by shooting 59 percent from the floor and distanced themselves by burying eight more attempts from three-point range.

FC’s Jace Redman led five Franklin players in double figures, knocking in six-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc for a career-best 22 points. Marty Young added 18 points and Jon Neill hit a trio of triples and ended with 15 points.

The Jackets were led by their standout freshmen, as Sales sank eight-of-nine shots and finished the night with 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal. Fellow freshmen Mike Floyd and Eric Stolly also turned in solid performances as Floyd went for 18 points and six assists while Stolly registered eight points. Pettaway chipped in 16 points and five rebounds and Anthony Jackson tacked on eight points.

Defiance (16-7, 9-6 HCAC) will round out its regular season on Saturday with a 3:00 pm game against Transylvania (16-8, 9-6 HCAC) with a possible trip to the HCAC Tournament on the line.