By Sam Brauen www.blufftonpirates.com
Despite only leading the game for a total of 48 seconds, Cory Rawson pushed Bluffton to the limit Friday in the second game of the McDonald’s Holiday Tournament. 

The Pirates survived 26 points from Carson Houck and 19 points from Tommy Stauffer to outlast the Hornets 65-62 in overtime.  Luke Denecker scored a game high 23 points for Bluffton.  The Pirates again had great balance as Jared Piercefield scored 16 and Mason Soper 13 in the win.   The Pirates improved to 7-0 on the season while Cory Rawson fell to 2-5.  

Keys to the Game
Three pointers from Mason Soper, Luke Denecker (2) and Jared Piercefield allowed Bluffton to take a 16-6 lead after one quarter.  Both teams deployed zone defenses to open the game.  8 points from Soper kept the Pirate advantage at 28-18 heading into halftime.  CR’s Kyle Schultz drilled a three pointer at the buzzer to keep the Hornets within ten points.  Schultz finished the game with 14 points and four 3s. 

The Pirates pushed their zone defense out to halfcourt in the second half and the Hornets ate it up, in particular Houck. CR routinely beat the Pirate defense and Houck finished the quarter with 11 layups including four layups.  Stauffer had a huge fourth quarter with 11 points scoring several times off of 4 offensive rebounds.  

Cory Rawson led 4-3 for less than a minute in the first quarter but never led again.  The Pirates took a 52-39 lead with 5:41 left on a Denecker three pointer and the game appeared to be in hand.  However, CR outscored Bluffton 16-3 over the next four minutes to tie the game at 55-55 on a Stuaffer put back.  Jared Piercefield calmly drove into the lane, spun and made a shot in traffic to give Bluffton a two point advantage with 40 seconds left.  Stauffer tied the game with 12 seconds left on a backdoor cut.  The Pirates were not able to get a potential game winning shot off in time and the game went to overtime. 

Piercefield again scored to open the overtime session.  Stauffer responded with a post move and the game was tied at 59-59.  Denecker pulled up and drained his fifth three pointer of the night to put Bluffton ahead 62-59.  Mickey Ault scored an important basket with 52 seconds left off a feed from Denecker.  The bucket pushed Bluffton’s lead out to 64-59.  Stauffer scored in the lane one final time and then added a free throw with 9 seconds left.  Denecker made one final free throw with 7 ticks left to keep the advantage at 65-62.  Houck missed a three pointer at the horn and the Pirates were victorious.  

Team Statistics (unofficial)

Bluffton
2 Pt FG 9/22 (41%)
3 Pt FG 10/26 (38%)
Total  FG 19/48 (40%)
Free Throws 13/20 (65%)
Rebounds 28
Turnovers 9

Cory Rawson
2 Pt FG 19/36 (53%)
3 Pt FG 6/17 (35%)
Total FG 25/53 (47%)
Free Throws 6/11 (55%)
Rebounds 32
Turnovers 14

Individual Pirate Statistics (unofficial)
Luke Denecker – 23 points, five 3s, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Jared Piercefield – 16 points, one 3, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
Mason Soper – 13 points, three 3s, 12 rebounds, 1 assist
Baylor Garmatter – 8 points, 6/8 from free throw line, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Levi Hohenbrink – 3 points, one 3
Mickey Ault – 2 points

What’s Next
Bluffton will face Arlington in the Championship game of this tournament for the fourth time in five years. Bluffton will be gunning for their fifth straight title.  The Red Devils are 6-1 and defeated Miller City 59-50 in the opening game of the tournament.