By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - Host Bluffton dominated former conference rival Lima Central Catholic 49-30 in a girls basketball bout Thursday night to end the regular season on a high note.
The Lady Pirates led 11-5 after the first period of play on the strength of two Kylie Monday triples.
Six Kylie Stackhouse points in the second stanza helped the Pirates secure a 24-14 intermission margin.
The Pirate girls led 32-21 heading to the final period of play.
Senior Laykin Garmatter poured in 10 fourth quarter points, including two trifectas, to help the hosts win going away.
Bluffton improved to 12-10 as a result of the convincing victory. Meanwhile, LCC fell to 7-14 with the defeat.
Monday led the victors with 13 points, while Garmatter netted a dozen. Stackhouse was the third Pirate in double figures with 10 points.
Sami Scoles added seven markers.
Olivia Stolly led LCC with 12 points. No other Thunderbird scored more than six points.
The Lady Pirates knocked down 20 baskets. They canned 14 two-pointers and connected on six trifectas. Bluffton converted three of five free throw attempts (60 percent).
The LCC girls connected on 10 total field goals, 10 less than Bluffton. They made eight two-pointers and sank two three-point goals. LCC also converted eight of 11 from the charity stripe (73 percent).
Bluffton finished the regular season 9-3 at home after the win.
LCC 30 (7-14)
Luchini 1 1-2 3, E. Mulcahy 0 3-4 3, M. Mulcahy 2 0-0 6, Parker 2 0-0 4, Wilker 1 0-0 2, Stolly 4 4-5 12.
Totals: 8-2/8-11/30. 3-pointers: M. Mulcahy 2.
Bluffton 49 (12-10)
Bischoff 0, Garmatter 4 2-4 12, Busch 1 0-0 2, Eachus 1 0-0 3, Stackhouse 5 0-0 10, Bricker 1 0-0 2, Scoles 3 0-0 7, Monday 5 1-1 13.
Totals: 14-6/3-5/49. 3-pointers: Garmatter 2, Monday 2, Eachus 1, Scoles 1.
1 2 3 4 F
LCC 5 9 7 9 30
Blf 11 13 8 17 49
The Pirate girls finished 4-4 in the NWC, good for sixth place in the nine-team league. Crestview and Delphos Jefferson tied for the NWC crown at 7-1.
Spencerville, Paulding and Columbus Grove each finished in a tie for third at 5-3, a game ahead of the Pirates.
Bluffton was seeded eighth out of 14 teams at the Van Wert district/Div. IV super sectional draw.
The Lady Pirate cagers (12-10) visit local non-league rival Cory-Rawson (15-6) in the first round Wednesday, February 17 at 7 p.m. The seventh-seeded Lady Hornets knocked off the Pirate girls 39-29 at Bluffton back in the season opener, and went on to win the Bluffton Holiday Invitational.
The Pirate/C-R winner will take on the February 17 victor between third seed McComb (16-4) and 14th seed Pandora-Gilboa (2-19) in round two.
That sectional final will take place Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the higher seed, most likely McComb.
The four sectional final winners advance to the Van Wert district Feb. 25.
Columbus Grove (14-7) was voted the top seed for the second year in a row.
