FRANKLIN, Ind. – Defiance overcame an eight-point deficit with under three minutes left in regulation to force overtime at Franklin on Saturday, before Logan Wolfrum's layup with two seconds left in the extra session sealed the 94-92 victory for the Yellow Jackets.
A shooting exhibition from the Grizzlies late in the opening half vaulted Franklin to a 43-35 lead at the intermission. Franklin surged to the break by hitting its final eight shots of the half, including four from three-point range to close the stanza on a 21-5 run over the final 4:20 of the period.
The Jackets regrouped and started the second half with six-straight points and eventually drew even at 51-51. A three-ball from Wolfrum completed the initial comeback by putting Defiance in front, 54-53, with 13:43 left showing on the clock.
Franklin answered by retaking the lead and pushing the gap to six on two separate occasions, before Brandon Campbell knotted the score at 63-63 and eight-straight points from Wolfrum helped Defiance forge three more ties over the next several possessions.
The final Wolfrum bucket of that stretch locked the two sides at 71 all with 5:36 to play but the home Grizzlies momentarily pulled away once again, scoring the next eight points of the game to build a 79-71 cushion with just over three and a half minutes left in regulation.
Defiance refused to go away however, as Anthony Brown teamed with Campbell to post the next 12 points for DC to put the Jackets in front, 83-82, at the 54-second mark. A pair of free throws from Franklin flipped the lead once again but Wolfrum capped an 11-3 flurry by DC and sent the game into overtime with a made free throw with 10 seconds left in regulation.
The 84-84 gridlock would not last long in the extra period, with FC striking first on a free throw and Brown hitting a jumper to put the Jackets up one. Kevin Tietje then answered a three from the home team with a trifecta of his own and a free throw from Campbell tied it once again at 90 with 1:12 to go.
Wolfrum then put DC up by two with a pair from the line following a Franklin turnover, but the Grizzlies got a stick-back bucket with 11 ticks left to set the stage for the final possession.
Wolfrum calmly jogged the ball up the court and worked to the left wing, before driving through four FC defenders and softly banking a running layup off the glass and in for the 94-92 lead with 1.6 left on the clock.
Franklin's (4-11, 2-6 HCAC) desperation heave at the horn sailed wide and Defiance completed the thrilling two-point road win.
Wolfrum led all players with 40 points, including 28 over the final 25 minutes of action. The sophomore point guard also added five assists and five rebounds, while sinking 17-of-20 attempts from the charity stripe. Brown also finished strong, netting 16 of his 18 points after the half, as he and Wolfrum combined to score 44 of DC's final 59 points in the game.
The duo of Wolfrum and Brown had plenty of help, as Kevin Tietje ended with 13 points on six-of-nine shooting and sank a critical trey in the extra period, while Campbell had 10 points to go with five boards and Ryan Hicks ended with eight points.
Defiance shot 60.4 percent from the field in the win, countering Franklin's 11-of-22 barrage from downtown.
The Jackets (10-5, 5-3 HCAC) will put their four-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday, when they host Bluffton (11-4, 4-4 HCAC) inside the Karl H. Weaner Community Center at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be the 185th all-time clash between the two rivals on the hardwood, with DC holding a 123-61 advantage in the series.