The visiting Bluffton High School boys basketball team lost to defending three-time league champion Columbus Grove 57-46 in a Northwest Conference battle Friday night, February 4.
The Pirates fell to 14-2 and had their 13-game victory streak snapped with their first loss in exactly two months. Bluffton is still first in the league at 6-1, a half-game ahead of Crestview (5-1).
Kyler Kinn led the Pirates with 17 points, 11 of which came in the second half.
Trey Boblitt scored 15 points with two triples, while Trenton Donley contributed 11 markers behind a pair of treys.
Bluffton trailed 19-16 after the first period despite seven Boblitt points. Grove extended its lead to 30-21 by halftime.
A big 19-11 third period punctuated by five Bulldog three-point goals gave CG a commanding 49-32 margin heading to the final stanza.
Bluffton won the fourth period 14-8 as Kinn and Boblitt each tallied five points, but it was not nearly enough to overcome a 17-point deficit.
Trey Sautter led four Bulldogs in double figures with 17 points. Bo Birnesser tallied 14 points with four treys, while Jackson Schroeder scored 11 and Brayden Bellman added 10 markers.
Grove improved to 10-6 overall and evened its league record at 3-3 with the win.
Bluffton knocked down 18 field goals, hitting 14 two-pointers while splashing four treys. The Pirates converted only six of 13 attempts at the charity stripe (46 percent).
The Bulldogs canned 23 baskets. CG sank 14 two-pointers and drained nine big triples. They scored 27 points beyond the arc and 28 inside it.
Grove converted just two of seven shots at the foul line (29 percent).
Bluffton committed 11 turnovers, while the Bulldogs made 10 miscues.
Bluffton 46 (14-2, 6-1 NWC)
Donley 3 3-3 11, Shutler 0, Kinn 8 1-4 17, Soper 1 1-3 3, Boblitt 6 1-1 15, Donaldson 0 0-2 0, Schaadt 0, Lora 0.
Totals: 14-4/6-13/46. 3-pointers: Donley 2, Boblitt 2.
Col. Grove 57 (10-6, 3-3 NWC)
Birnesser 5 0-0 14, Reynolds 2 0-2 5, Sautter 6 2-4 17, Schroeder 5 0-0 11, Bellman 5 0-1 10.
Totals: 14-9/2-7/57. 3-pointers: Birnesser 4, Sautter 3, Schroeder 1, Reynolds 1.
1 2 3 4 F
CG 19 11 19 8 57
Blu 16 5 11 14 46
Bluffton plays at struggling Riverdale (4-12) Saturday night, February 5 in a non-league game. The JV game tips off at 5 p.m.
The Pirates then host WBL county rival Elida (3-14) in another non-NWC bout Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Bluffton (6-1 NWC) then hosts local rival Allen East (10-6, 3-2 NWC) next Friday, February 11.
