DC Earns Second-Straight Season Sweep over Hanover

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance overcame foul troubles and a halftime deficit to notch a key, 58-49, victory over the Hanover Panthers on Saturday. The victory gives the Jackets their fourth win in a row over Hanover, while moving them to 8-1 in HCAC play.

C.J. Johnson had the hot hand early once again, connecting on a pair of threes before sinking a layup to give Defiance the quick 8-6 advantage. DC would push its lead to 16-12 on a bucket from Nick Sales, but Hanover would rally back behind a 12-3 run to claim its largest spread of the game at 24-19 with 5:03 left in the half.

Heath Armstrong slowed the Panther momentum with his second trey of the half and Sales and Johnson would each score a hoop to help DC close the gap to 28-26 at the end of the opening stanza.

The second half started with four-straight points from the Yellow Jackets on a Bryan Post stick back and a steal and score from Johnson. Hanover tied the game at 30-30 on its next touch, but a long-range shot from Johnson gave DC the three-point spread with 17:01 left to play.

Defiance would not relinquish the lead over the final 17 minutes of the game and eventually opened a 42-32 cushion after beginning the second half on a 16-4 surge. The Yellow Jackets used a suffocating defensive performance to hold Hanover at bay and hit several clutch shots to preserve the 58-49 victory.

Defiance limited the Panthers to 21 points after the break on seven-of-22 shooting (31.8 percent) and pulled away by connecting on five-of-11 shots from beyond the arc.

The strong defensive showing was yet another in a recent string of such outings for the Yellow Jackets. Since allowing 76 points to Franklin, DC has won each of its next three games and held its opposition to a measly 49.3 points a game on 35.2 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from downtown.

Johnson led Defiance once again on offense, pouring in four makes from three-point range and ending with a game-high 21 points. The senior guard, who saw the Jackets improve to 10-0 when he hits at least three treys, also paced the Jackets with four assists and chased down six rebounds.

The 21-point effort was the second 20-point game in a row for Johnson and his seventh of the season. Johnson moved up three spots on DC’s all-time scoring list, and now sits in 18th with 1,260 career points.

Armstrong also knocked in four shots from long distance and ended with 12 points, while Nick Sales flirted with a double-double before ending with nine points, eight assists and two blocks.

Defiance (13-5, 8-1 HCAC) will now turn its attention to Wednesday night, when it will host Bluffton (11-7, 5-4 HCAC) at 7:30 pm. The game will mark the 180th meeting between the two schools on the hardwood.