Playing in Harrod, the Bluffton High School girls basketball team defeated local rival Allen East 48-42 in their Northwest Conference finale showdown Thursday night, February 10.
The Lady Pirates improved to 15-6 overall after the victory. Bluffton finished in a tie for fifth place in the NWC at 4-4 with Leipsic.
AE fell to 11-10 and 2-6 in the NWC (seventh) with the defeat.
Delphos Jefferson captured the league crown outright at 8-0 after beating Columbus Grove 65-49 Thursday night. Grove and Crestview tied for second at 6-2, followed by Spencerville (5-3).
The Bluffton boys basketball team avoided an upset bid by visiting backyard rival Allen East to win 60-56 and clinch the league crown in a Northwest Conference nailbiter Friday night, February 11. (Watch the game at https://youtu.be/Oyavo7c29UE)
With the win, the Pirates clinched at least a share of the Northwest Conference title, their first in 22 years. Bluffton is 10-0 at home this season.
The Pirates improved to 17-2 and finished 7-1 in the NWC with the tense win. AE fell to 11-8 and 3-4 in the NWC after the loss.
Playing in Richmond, the Bluffton University men's basketball team led by as many as 14 points early in the second half, but Earlham rallied for a 76-68 victory on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. The Quakers improved to 9-10 and 5-7 in the Heartland Conference, while Bluffton fell to 5-15 and 1-11 in the HCAC.
Much like they did on February 5 at Rose-Hulman, the Bluffton University women's basketball team bolted out to a 14-0 lead but needed a 31-14 jag in the fourth quarter to come away with their 84-60 victory on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Bluffton pushed its mark to 15-6 and 10-4 in the Heartland Conference, while Earlham stayed winless at 0-18 and 0-11 in the HCAC.
Playing at home, the Bluffton High School boys basketball team decisively defeated Elida 60-34 in a non-conference bout Tuesday night, February 8.
The Pirates improved to 16-2 with the one-sided win. The Bulldogs dropped to 3-16 with the defeat.
Trenton Donley led three Pirates in double figures with 17 points and three treys. Trey Boblitt drained four triples to score 14 points. Kyler Kinn added 11 markers.
The Pirates knocked down nine treys and outscored Elida 38-19 in the second half to secure the win.
The Pandora-Gilboa High School boys basketball team (7-0 BVC, 4-1 PCL, 12-6) had their highly anticipated Blanchard Valley Conference match-up against Liberty-Benton (6-1 BVC, 14-4) postponed Friday night, February 4, due to the weather. The make-up date is Saturday, Feb. 19 at Pandora, with a JV tip-off at 6 p.m., for these two teams that are currently top ranked in the BVC.
