By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - The host Bluffton boys basketball team raced to a big halftime lead and held off Liberty-Benton 79-67 to win their home opener Saturday night.

The Pirates led a high-scoring first half 49-33 at intermission as Carson Soper poured in 19 points on the strength of four three-pointers.

Trenton Donley also knocked down two triples in the opening stanza as the hot-shooting Pirates built a 27-11 lead. Donley added another triple in the second period, while Trey Boblitt also drained three trifectas before intermission.

L-B rallied with a 14-7 third period to pull within 56-47 heading to the final stanza. But Bluffton hit on eight of 12 free throws in the fourth period to win by a dozen. Overall, the victors sank 14 three-point goals.

Soper netted a career-high 27 points, while Josh Reindel led L-B with 24 points.

The Pirates evened their record at 1-1 with the win, while the Eagles fell to 1-1 with the defeat.

Bluffton canned 13 two-point baskets compared to 14 three-point goals. The Pirates converted 11 of 16 from the charity stripe (7=69 percent).

The Eagles sank 23 field goals, including seven three-point baskets. L-B hit on 14 of 16 the foul line (88 percent). L-B committed 11 turnovers, while Bluffton made 16 miscues.

Donley tossed in 19 points while Boblitt added 13 markers for Bluffton. Soper and Donley each drained five triples, while Boblitt sank four treys.

Alex Dillon tallied 12 points and Ben Spiess added 11 for the Eagles.

L-B 67 (1-1)
Reindel 7 8-9 24, Abbott 0 4-4 4, Doolittle 3 1-1 7, Spiess 4 1-2 11, Dillon 5 0-0 12, Rath 2 0-0 4, Gerken 2 0-0 5.
Totals: 16-7/14-16/67. 3-pointers: Reindel 2, Spiess 2, Dillon 2, Gerken 1.

Bluffton 79 (1-1)
Donley 6 2-2 19, T. Shutler 0, Kinn 3 1-2 7, Boblitt 4 1-2 13, Schaadt 3 1-3 7, Soper 8 6-6 27, Essinger 3 0-1 6.
Totals: 1/1/. 3-pointers: Soper 5, Donley 5, Boblitt 4.
 
    1    2    3    4    F
L-B    11    22    14    20    67
Bluf    27    22    7    23    79

Bluffton visits Ada (0-4) in the Northwest Conference opener Friday, December 11. They then visit McComb (1-1) Dec. 12.