BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Beavers lost a tough one on Wednesday, March 3, seeing their season come to its conclusion. While it was a close game from tip to the final buzzer, the Grizzlies held on to defeat the Beavers 55-51. With the loss Bluffton fell to a final record of 11-5, while Franklin will now move on to face Manchester in the HCAC semifinals this weekend.
The Beavers started out hot from deep in the first half, shooting a startling 45.3 percent from behind the 3-point line. Junior guard Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) led the charge with nine points, shooting 2-of-4 from deep. Backcourt partner Dezman Brown (Elyria) added six of his own thanks to 2-of-3 from distance. Sophomore post AJ Kenney (Marion/River Valley) tossed in his own four points to go along with two rebounds. Marcus Peaks (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) put work in in his 5 minutes on the court scoring 4 points on 2/3 from the field. Despite the Beavers strong half, they trailed the Grizzlies 31-28 at the half.
The second half was rough for both teams with neither squad shooting over 40 percent from the field (Bluffton 34.6 percent, Franklin 39.1 percent). Reserve guard Mike Ketner (Minster) had a big half, willing the Beavers to stay in the game with six huge points as he knocked down two clutch 3's. Cosby and Brown both added four points in the second stanza. Despite the effort on both ends of the court, the home team could not get over the hump while dropping a 55-51 decision.
Bluffton finished just 19-of-57 (33.3 percent) from the field, compared to 20-of-48 (41.7 percent) for the Grizzlies. Franklin ripped down eight more rebounds (40-32) and both teams were exceptional with the basketball as Bluffton turned it over just six times and Franklin seven. The visitors finished with a 32-20 edge in paint points thanks to a 9-of-12 night for Payton Mills (18 points).
Cosby and Brown led the Beavers with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) led the home team with eight boards off the bench.
The 2020-21 season is now complete with the exception of the All-Heartland Conference awards which are slated to be revealed on Thursday, March 11. Check the men's basketball website during the coming weeks for updated records and the All-HCAC release.
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