Watch the Saturday afternoon game HERE.

By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__Playing at home, the Bluffton High School boys basketball team manhandled a young Ada squad 71-35 in a Northwest Conference mismatch Friday night, January 5.

The Pirates dominated the Bulldogs 33-13 over the middle two quarters to take command and roll to victory.

Bluffton outscored Ada by a whopping 51-21 over the final 24 minutes.

The Pirates improved to 7-1 and 2-0 in the NWC after the lopsided win.

The Bulldogs dropped to 2-8 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with the loss.

Bluffton led 20-14 after the first period as junior guard Marek Donaldson scored seven early points.

Ada sophomore Zach Zimmerman splashed three triples in the opening stanza to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance. 

“Zach kept us in it early,” said Ada third-year head coach Vince Halliday.

Zimmerman added another trey and five more points in the second stanza, but Donaldson matched him. Five Pirates scored during a 17-7 run that gave the hosts a 37-21 advantage at intermission.

Bluffton won the third period 16-6 to stretch its lead to a commanding 26 points heading to the fourth quarter. Six Pirates scored for balanced Bluffton in the stanza. 

Wade Ginther tallied six points in an 18-8 Bluffton fourth quarter as the Pirates extended the final margin to 36. 

Eleven Pirates dented the scoring column as three hit double-figure scoring, led by Donaldson with 15 points. Wade Ginther netted 14 markers, and Blake Sommers added 13 points. 

Zimmerman led all players with 18 points and four treys. Ada freshman point guard Kolton Dysert added seven markers and one triple.  

“Bluffton is legit good,” Halliday noted. “We played really hard and ran them off the three-point line. They only made three three’s.

“Bluffton is big and physical,” he continued. “They are hard to keep off the glass.”

The Bulldogs made 14 turnovers, while the Pirates committed just nine miscues.

Bluffton canned 27 two-pointers and drilled three treys. The Pirates converted eight of nine from the free throw line (89 percent).

The Bulldogs connected on nine two-point goals, and drained five triples.

Ada converted both of its mere two shots at the charity stripe (100 percent). 

Bluffton also won the JV game 60-30 to drop the Ada reserves to 7-3. 

Ada 35 (2-8, 0-2 NWC)

Oldfield 0 0-0 0, Zimmerman 7 0-0 18, Hickman 0 0-0 0, Dysert 3 0-0 7, Green 0 0-0 0, Blankenship 0 0-0 0, Gossard 1 0-0 2, House 0 0-0 0, Lawrence 1 0-0 2, Gossman 1 2-2 4, Griffith 1 0-0 2.

Totals: 9-5/2-2/35. 3-pointers: Zimmerman 4, Dysert 1. 

Bluffton 71 (7-1, 2-0 NWC)

Donaldson 5 3-4 15, B. Ginther 1 0-0 2, W. Ginther 7 0-0 14, Blk. Sommers 6 0-0 13, Bro. Sommers 2 0-0 4, Boblitt 1 0-0 2, Hilty 1 0-0 2, Worcester 3 0-0 6, Ker. Wright 1 2-2 4, Ka. Wright 1 1-1 3, Yoder 2 2-2 6.

Totals: 27-3/8-9/71. 3-pointers: Donaldson 2, Blk. Sommers 1.

JV: Bluffton 60, Ada 30.

The Pirates host Van Buren (1-7) Saturday evening at 5 p.m. in a non-league battle. VB lost at Pandora-Gilboa 64-43 Friday night.