By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON – The Bluffton High School girls basketball team lost a 63-55 overtime barnburner to visiting non-conference foe Toledo Start on January 18.

In the OT session, Toledo Start hit seven foul shots and held Bluffton without a field goal to win 11-3 and triumph by eight points.

Bluffton fell to 9-8 overall with the tough defeat.

Toledo Start improved to 13-1 after the win. Start is first in the Toledo City League at 6-0.

Pirate senior post Ayla Grandey led Bluffton with 15 points. Grandey sank four baskets and hit seven of nine foul shots.  

Freshman Maelee Miller tallied 12 points on six baskets. Gracie Warren netted a season-high 10 points. Blair Utendorf added nine markers, and Macy Schaadt tallied five.

The game was tied 8-8 after the opening quarter, and Start pulled ahead 24-17 at halftime. Bluffton authored a 22-12 third stanza to seize a 39-36 edge heading to the fourth period.  

Miller netted four baskets to spearhead the third quarter run.

TS tied it with a 16-13 fourth to force overtime despite seven Grandey points. They then won the extra session by eight.

Jade Latson led the victors with 23 points. Laverta Latson tallied seven of her 10 points in overtime.

Bluffton canned 18 deuces and drilled only one trey, by Warren. The Pirates converted 16 of 23 free throws (70 percent).

TS also connected on 18 two-point goals but sank six triples for a 15-point edge beyond the arc. They canned nine of 18 foul shots (50 percent). 

Bluffton (1-2 NWC) visits league foe Lincolnview (10-7, 2-2 NWC) Thursday, January 23.

Bluffton then hosts local league rival Allen East (11-3, 1-2 NWC) Tuesday, Jan. 28.