By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton High School girls basketball team used a big second period to defeat visiting WBL foe Defiance 55-45 in a non-league game Tuesday evening, January 17.

Bluffton improved to 11-5 overall with the win. The Pirate girls improved to 9-1 at home with the victory. 

Slumping WBL foe Defiance fell to 1-12 with the defeat.

The Pirates and Bulldogs were tied 11-11 after the opening stanza.

But a 20-8 second quarter shot Bluffton into a 12-point halftime lead they basically held onto the rest of the game. 

The Bulldogs narrowly won the second half, 26-24.

Southpaw playmaker Sami Scoles led Bluffton with 17 points. The steady senior scored at least three points in every period.

Sophomore post Grandey contributed 14 points, including six in the first period. Kendal Giesige chipped in with 11 points.

Defiance senior Mira Horvath topped all players with 23 points. Bulldog senior Kinley Maynard and junior Alexa Garcia added 11 points apiece. But only three Defiance players scored.

Better-balanced Bluffton put eight players in the scoring column.

The Pirates canned 19 shots from the field, hitting 18 deuces and one shot from three-point territory. 

Bluffton converted 16 of 19 free throws (84 percent). The Pirates outscored Defiance 16-1 at the charity stripe to spell the difference.

Defiance sank 20 field goals, making 16 two-pointers and four triples. The visitors converted one of just two foul shots (50 percent).

Bluffton 55 (11-5)

Mehaffie 1 2-2 4, Green 0 0-0 0, Fleece 1 0-0 2, Eachus 1 0-0 3, Schweingruber 0 0-0 0, Giesige 5 1-2 11, Scoles 7 3-4 17, Schaadt 1 0-0 2, Grothause 0 0-0 0, Grandey 3 8-9 14, Utendorf 0 2-2 2. 

Totals: 18-1/16-19/45. 3-pointer: Eachus 1.

Defiance 45 (1-12) 

Maynard 4 0-0 11, Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Garcia 5 0-0 11, Horvath 11 1-2 23. 

Totals 16-4/1-2/45. 3-pointers: Maynard 3, Garcia 1.  

1 2 3 4 F

Def 11 8 11 15 45

Bluf 11 20 15 9 55

The Pirates (1-3 NWC) visit improved league foe Lincolnview (8-8, 1-3 NWC) Thursday, January 19. Both teams are in a three-way tie for sixth in the league standings with Spencerville.