By GREG MENGELT
Hanover improved 4-0 on the season.
Hanover shot 53.7 percent from the field (29 of 54) — 62.5 percent in the second half — and made four of its five 3-point attempts in the second half of the victory. Sophomore forward Matt Munoz (Southport) led the efficient Panther offense with a 9-for-10, 23-point outing. Munoz made all three of his 3-point shots and both of his free throws.
Junior forward Jack Wininger (North Daviess) was 5 for 5 from the floor for 11 points. He connected on his only 3-point attempt.
New Albany graduate Isaac Hibbard finished with 7 points. The Hanover senior was 3 of 8 from the field and 1 of 4 from the foul line. Former Christian Academy star Noah Williams, also a senior, contributed 4 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes off the Panther bench.
Hanover scored the game’s first seven points but went cold and let the Ravens get within a point at 18-17 with 5:55 to go in the half. The Panthers closed the half on a 12-7 run for a 30-24 halftime edge.
A Munoz layup with 15 minutes left gave the Panthers their largest lead at 39-29, but the Ravens answered with a 10-2 run to get within 2 points with 13:06 remaining. A Hibbard layup at the 9:04 mark stretched the lead back to 5 before Williams scored in the paint to give the Panthers a 52-45 edge with 8:14 left. Although Anderson kept the game close most of the way, Winninger essentially put the game away with a 3-pointer that gave the Panthers a 60-49 lead with 4:15 left.
Senior Maurice Knight (Frankton) had a game-high 21 points for Anderson, which won had won four of its five games coming into Wednesday’s contest.
Hanover hosts Bluffton on Saturday in its next HCAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Collier Arena.
