By Evan Skilliter
A strong, 21-point performance from Levi Kistler and a solid first half performance from the Pirates was not enough to contain a talented Spencerville offense as the Bearcats outscored Bluffton 33-19 in the second half en route to a 52-38 Northwest Conference victory.
Junior Zach Goecke turned in 18 points for Spencerville (9-3, 3-1 NWC), 10 of which came in a huge third quarter for the Bearcats. Bluffton fell to 10-3, 1-2 in the NWC.
Spencerville held a 14-11 lead after the first quarter and wasable to extend the lead to 18-11 before a Bluffton timeout just over one minute into the second period. The timeout proved to be helpful as Bluffton went on an 8-0 run consisting of a Mitchell Ault jumper and back-to-back three-pointers from Kistler. The Bearcats were able to tie the score at 19 before the half time buzzer sounded with the score knotted.
The wheels seemed to fall off in the third quarter as the Bearcats started the half with back-to-back three pointers from sophomore Jake Meyers and Goecke, followed by a fast break layup from Goecke to give the Bearcats a 27-19 advantage. Kistler was able to end the quick run with a three, but Spencerville continued their dominance to take a 36-26 lead into the final frame.
The Pirates did muster a final attempt to get back into the game, making a gradual fourth quarter climb to reduce the gap to four points, 42-38, with 2:25 left in the game, but the Bearcats saw clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, hitting 8-of-9 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to hold off the home team for a 52-38 final score.
The Pirates were marred by a poor night from the field, shooting just 32 percent as a team, 10 percent worse than their season average. It was a stat that Head Coach Todd Boblitt believes significantly contributed to the loss.
"We had a difficult time finding the basket all night," said Boblitt. "Beyond the arc, inside, in the paint… we just had a hard time scoring. Our success this season has been having a number of guys that can score. Tonight that just didn't happen for us."
Other Pirates on the scoreboard were Austin Bricker with five points, Ault with four and Eli Runk, Brady Parkins, Joel Siefker and Bret Rumor with two each.
Ault led the Pirates with nine rebounds and four assists. Bricker and Kistler finished with four rebounds each.
The Pirates were out-rebounded 24-29 on the night, but won the turnover battle 9-10.
Bluffton will be back in action at home on Tuesday against Kenton. They'll continue their conference schedule on the road Friday, Jan. 30, at Allen East.
