Franklin College

Men’s basketball wins HCAC tourney

Franklin College completed a magical run through the Heartland Collegiate Athletic conference tournament by stunning top-seeded Hanover, 91-84, in Saturday’s championship game. The Grizzlies (14-14), who defeated each of the top three seeds en route to their second straight conference title, will play in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 2008.

Freshman Cody Samples scored a game-high 34 points against the host Panthers on his way to tournament MVP honors, hitting 10 of 12 shots from the field and 7 of 8 from 3-point range. Matt Krause added 22 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, while Trey Flatt (12 points) and Carter Crowe (11) also scored in double figures.

The NCAA tournament brackets will be revealed this afternoon.

Divers shine at NCAA regional

Junior Gauge Creech had a pair of third-place finishes during NCAA regional action in Grand Rapids, Michigan over the weekend, putting himself in good position to earn a spot in the Division III championships when qualifiers are announced today.

Creech scored 496.00 points on the 3-meter board and followed with 456.90 in the 1-meter competition.

On the women’s side, Faith Jackson paced a trio of Franklin College competitors, finishing 15th on the 3-meter board and 21st on the 1-meter. Carley Bond (20th and 26th) and Kamryn Elder (21st and 24th) were close behind.

Baseball rolls in opener

Logan Demkovich homered twice and Colby Reed added a round-tripper and five RBIs as Franklin College hammered Albion, 20-1, in its season opener on Saturday at Bishop Chatard. Senior Nick McClanahan was the winning pitcher, striking out 11 on just 77 pitches in his six innings of work.