By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON __The Bluffton High School boys basketball team was victimized by a big third period as they lost 65-31 to visiting Northwest Conference foe Spencerville on Friday, January 30.

The Pirates trailed 15-10 after the opening period. An 18-11 Bearcat second stanza gave the visitors a 33-21 lead at halftime.

Spencerville then blitzed Bluffton with a 23-5 third quarter as Will Sensabaugh pumped in eight points on two treys and a breakaway stuff.

Down by 30 heading into the fourth period, Bluffton was outscored 9-5 in the final stretch to lose by 34.

The Pirates fell to 5-10 overall and 0-5 in the NWC after the blowout home defeat. The Bearcats improved to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in NWC play with the road victory that snapped a three-game losing skid. 

A triple by Owen Scoles tied it at 9-9 after the Pirates started out cold, making just one of their first six shots. A traditional three-point play by the Bearcats put them back on top 12-9.

A triple with 20 seconds left in the opening stanza put the visitors ahead 15-10 after one following a Pirate foul shot with 2.4 ticks to go.

A Bean Ginther driving pull-up shot cut to three. Grady Smith answered with a trifecta. Ginther netted two foul shots to make it 18-14. Bearcat ace Sensabaugh drained his second trey, then added two foul shots.

A triple by Gavin Comer extended the Bearcat margin to 28-16 with two minutes left in the first half. Senior Grady Smith was fouled shooting a trey and made two charity stripers to provide a 30-16 cushion.

Pirate freshman guard Brody Donley sank an offensive rebound putback shot. But Sensabaugh nailed another open three off some screens for a 33-18 bulge.

Pirate Robby Taylor splashed a trifecta at the halftime horn to cut the deficit to 12 by intermission. 

An offensive rebound basket opened the second half for the Bearcats. A Landon Kahle triple extended the lead to 17. A long Sensabaugh triple extended their run to 10-0 right out of the halftime locker room.

A foul shot and a missed Bearcat free toss putback stretched the margin to 46-21 with five minutes left in the third period. A Bean Ginther triple stopped the 13-0 flurry.

A Sensabaugh stop-and-pop trey advanced the lead to 50-22 as the junior surpassed the 1,000-point career mark. Pirate Parker Lovell netted a pair of free throws. A Grady Smith stickback made it 54-24.

Sensabaugh stole the ball and dunked it in just before the third period buzzer to balloon the lead to 30. The decisive 23-5 Bearcat quarter put the game out of reach.

Another Kahle corner triple opened the final stanza. A trey by Smith was answered by an old-fashioned Lovell three-point play. Bearcat Logan Hartman splashed a trifecta.

Sensabaugh led all players with 21 points and five triples. Smith tallied 18 markers and hit on a pair of treys.

Bean Ginther led the Pirates with nine points. Lovell scored seven and Taylor contributed six markers on a pair of trifectas.

Bluffton is playing without injured leading scorer Kain Wright (ankle).

The Pirates connected on just five two-point goals and knocked down four triples. Bluffton converted nine of 11 shots from the charity stripe (82 percent). 

The Bearcats sank only eight deuces but splashed a dozen trifectas and canned 13 of 20 foul shots (65 percent).

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The Pirates visit perennially strong non-league rival Liberty-Benton (9-6) on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Eagles crushed BVC foe McComb 74-45 Friday as Lincoln Hollar poured in 30 points.