By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School boys basketball team battled but couldn’t overcome turnover problems in a 40-30 loss to visiting power Ottawa-Glandorf in a non-league contest on Friday, December 5.

A 13-0 run by O-G midway through the game broke open a close contest and paved the way to victory.

The visiting Titans took advantage of 23 Pirate turnovers, many of the live-ball variety, to convert key transition baskets.

The Pirates fell to 0-2 after suffering their second tough 10-point home loss in four days, as they open the season against tough competition.

O-G improved to 3-0 with the road win.

The Titans jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the Pirates rallied to take a 10-8 edge as Owen Scoles sank three baskets.

O-G regained the lead at 11-10 when Titan Brody Fortman banked in a long desperation three-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer to close the opening stanza.

The Pirates tied it 13-13 before a turnover led to a Titan basket. Pirate Lane Ginther knotted it up 15-15 by making a layup at the five-minute mark. The Titans then scored four unanswered points.

Brayden McClure splashed a three-pointer to inch Bluffton within 19-18. O-G scored the last four points of the half to take a 23-8 lead at intermission.

Ten first-half turnovers by the Pirates, and nine for 13 two-point shooting from O-G helped create the five-point margin.

Using a 1-2-2 press, the Titans scored the first nine points of the second half. A three-point play by Carson Yaeger, followed by a transition basket with 5:22 left in the third period, gave O-G a 30-18 advantage and prompted a Pirate timeout.

Titan sophomore Jordan Schumaker drilled a fadeaway shot to extend the O-G run to 13-0, bridging the halves.

Pirate freshman guard Brody Donley ended the long O-G run with a breakaway layup to pull within 32-20 with over three minutes left in the third stanza.

A jumper by Titan Landon Pester restored their lead to 14 at 34-20. Donley canned a fadeaway shot with just seconds left in the period to pull the Pirates within 34-22 after three quarters.

The Titans won the momentum-changing stanza, 11-4.

Bluffton made a run to start the final quarter as the Titans committed three turnovers early on.

Owen Scoles drilled a lane turnaround shot to open the fourth period and cut the deficit to 10. Chase Kelly then nailed a left side transition three-pointer to edge within 34-27 with 6:27 remaining.

O-G called a timeout to try and stem the Pirate momentum. But McClure sank a layup to cut the lead to 34-29 with 5:16 left in regulation and cap a 9-0 Pirate run.

Schumaker converted an old-fashioned three-point play to stop the Pirate flurry and put the Titans back on top by eight. Parker Lovell split two foul shots, but Schumaker stole the ball and cruised in for a layup and a 39-30 lead. 

Fortman splashed a foul shot to build the lead to 10, and neither team scored down the final stretch.

Scoles led the Pirates with eight points off the bench. Donley netted six markers and Robby Taylor tallied five, all in the first half. Taylor canned a second-period trey. McClure also added five points and sank a triple in the second stanza.

Schumaker led all players with 13 points, while Fortman contributed 10 markers.

The Pirates canned 10 of 26 deuce tries (38 percent), and drained three of nine triple attempts (33 percent). Overall, cold-shooting Bluffton made just 13 of 35 shots from the field (37 percent). They also converted just one of four at the charity stripe (25 percent). 

The Titans made a sizzling 16 of 26 on two-pointers (62 percent), but splashed just one of 17 trifecta tries (six percent). From the field, the Titans knocked down 17 of 43 shots overall (40 percent). 

O-G canned five of 10 from the charity stripe (50 percent).

The Titans out-rebounded the Pirates, 23-18. Hard-pressing O-G made 15 miscues, compared to the 23 costly Pirate errors.

Bluffton is back in action on Tuesday, December 9 as they host Toledo Bowsher (0-1).

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