By Cort Reynolds

PANDORA__The visiting Bluffton High School girls basketball team pulled away late to defeat spunky non-conference rival Pandora-Gilboa 41-33 Saturday afternoon, January 20.

It was the third game in five days for the Pirate girls. Bluffton had to fashion a 16-10 fourth period to put the Rocket girls away.

Bluffton led 8-2 after a low-scoring first period, and extended that lead to a 22-12 intermission cushion. 

Yet Pandora held the Pirates to just three points in the third stanza on a single trey to stay within striking distance down 25-18 heading to the final period.

But in the final period, Pirate post Ayla Grandey scored three big baskets and Blair Utendorf added five points to stymie the P-G upset bid. Avery Hobensack also hit her second big triple of the half.

The Pirates improved to 7-8 overall with the win. Meanwhile, the Rockets girls fell to 4-10 after the defeat.  

“Overall it was a great team effort; Pandora played us tough so credit to them,” said first-year Bluffton head coach Adam Burris. “We could never really pull away from them, and they just stuck around. 

“We had a lot of different girls step up so that was awesome to see,” he continued. “Ayla was under the weather today but gutted through it and led us in scoring, but our role players stepped up huge.

“Avery Hobensack came in the second half and hit two big three’s, and Lauren Bassett stepped up and helped out on the inside,” he added.

Grandey led the eight Pirates in the scoring column with 13 points. Pirate sophomore Utendorf tallied seven markers. Bassett and Hobensack each tallied six points.  

Savannah Knueven led P-G with 13 points. Ava Huffman added 10 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter.

The Pirates sank 11 two-point goals and drained four treys. They converted on seven of 12 free throws (58 percent).

P-G nailed eight deuces and drilled three trifectas. The Rockets connected on just eight of 18 foul shots (44 percent).

Bluffton (1-3 NWC) hosts Lincolnview (8-7, 3-1 NWC) next Thursday in a league bout, and entertains Riverdale (6-8) Saturday.

“It’s going to be a tough matchup,” Burris said of the Lancers. “They do a good job of speeding up the game, and their guard play is solid. We’ll have to be able to handle their pressure to have a shot.”

P-G 33 (4-10)

Tedoro 0 1-2 1,
Rutschlling 0 2-4 2,
Huffman 4 1-5 10,
Knueven 6 0-1 13,
Wise 1 0-0 3,
Drapper 0 4-6 4.

Totals: 8-3/8-18/33. 3-pointers: Knueven 1, Huffman 1, Wise 1.

Bluffton 41 (7-8)

Burkholder 0,
Hobensack 2 0-0 6,
Cross 0 3-4 3,
Fleece 1 0-0 2,
Dearth 0 0-0 0,
Schweingruber 0 1-2 1,
Warren 0 0-2 0,
Schaadt 1 0-0 3,
Utendorf 2 3-4 7,
Bassett 3 0-0 6,
Grandey 6 0-0 13.

Totals: 11-4/7-12/41. 3-pointers: Hobensack 2, Grandey 1, Schaadt 1.

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