Donaldson drains 8 treys

By Cort Reynolds

Playing in the Lewis Family McDonald's Holiday Classic tournament, the host Bluffton High School boys basketball team routed Cory-Rawson 70-54 in the semifinals of the annual event Thursday, December 29.

Pirate sophomore Marek Donaldson fired in eight three-point goals to net a game-high 26 points. All of his baskets came from beyond the arc.

The Pirates led 23-14 after hitting five triples in the first period. Donaldson canned three treys in the opening stanza.

Donaldson sank three more trifectas in the second stanza as the hosts led 38-30 at halftime.

The Pirates outscored C-R 32-24 after intermission and cruised to the 16-point victory. 

Donaldson drained two more triples in the third quarter to give him eight for the game, just short of the single-game Bluffton record set by Trenton Donley last year.

Bluffton improved to 4-3 with their fourth win in a row. The Pirates advance to the tourney finals Friday night against Arlington (7-1).

Cory dropped to 4-5 with the loss and will meet Continental (4-6) in the third-place game Friday night at 6 p.m.  

Wade Ginther tallied 16 points and Kaden Lora added 11 markers to give the Pirates three players in double figures.

Mike Bixler led the Hornets with 17 points. Eric Davis added a dozen markers.

Bluffton canned 23 field goals. Eleven of their baskets came inside the arc, while they drained 12 three-point goals. 

Bluffton also converted 12 of 14 attempts at the foul line (86 percent).

The Hornets sank 20 shots from the field, with 17 two-point goals and three treys. C-R converted just nine of 18 shots from the charity stripe (50 percent). 

The Pirates committed 13 turnovers and helped force 10 Hornet miscues.

C-R 54 (4-5)

Stumpp 2 0-0 5, Boehm 4 1-1 9, Garmatter 2 2-4 7, Davis 6 0-1 12, Bixler 5 6-10 17, Stuckey 1 0-0 2, Schimmoeller 0 0-2 0, Reese 1 0-0 2.

Totals: 17-3/9-18/54. 3-pointers: Stumpp 1, Garmatter 1, Bixler 1.

Bluffton 70 (3-3)

Donaldson 8 2-2 26, L. Ginther 0 0-0 0, Soper 1 0-0 2, W. Ginther 6 3-5 16, Worcester 1 0-0 2, Boblitt 2 0-0 6, Lora 3 4-6 11, Yoder 2 3-3 7, Hilty 0, Wright 0. 

Totals: 11-12/12-14/70. 3-pointers: Donaldson 8, Boblitt 2, Ginther 1, Lora 1.   

1 2 3 4 F

C-R 14 16 15 9 54

Bluf 23 15 21 11 70

Arlington routed Continental 67-31 in the first McDonald's semi final Thursday evening. Five Red Devils hit double figures. Caden Russell, Brady Kin and Rylar Essinger each netted 11 markers to pace the balanced victors.

Continental will play Cory in the third-place game Friday night.