By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - Visiting Elida outscored Bluffton 14-6 in the fourth period to win a 53-46 non-conference girls basketball battle Saturday afternoon.

Bluffton led 14-7 after one period of play, yet Elida roared back to tie it 30-30 with a 23-point second quarter outburst. The Pirate girls inched back in front 40-39 heading to the final stanza, but they went ice cold with just two baskets and a foul shot in the last period. 

The loss dropped the Pirate girl record to 9-2 as the Lady Bulldogs ended their nine-game win string. Meanwhile, Elida improved to 5-6 with the victory.

Junior guard Laykin Garmatter led the Pirate girls with 15 points. Senior post Libby Schaadt contributed a dozen markers, while sophomore Kylie Monday added 10 points.

Elida junior Amira Freeman led all players with 18 points, as she scored nine markers in each of the second and fourth periods. Elida outscored Bluffton 37-22 in those key stanzas. E. Johnson added 15 points.

The Bluffton girls canned 17 baskets, including 11 two-pointers and six goals from three-point range. The Pirate girls converted six of 11 from the charity stripe (64 percent).

The Bulldog girls sank 17 field goals, four of which were three-point baskets. Elida converted 15 of 18 at the foul line (83 percent). 

The loss also snapped a six-game Pirate home win streak.

Elida 53 (5-6)
Mitchell 2 2-2 6, Am. Freeman 4 8-8 18, Vincent 0 1-2 1, Ad. Freeman 4 3-3 11, Reese 1 0-1 2, E. Johnson 6 1-2 15.
Totals: 17/15-18/53. 3-pointers: Johnson 2, Am. Freeman 2.

Bluffton 46 (9-2)
B. Garmatter 0, L. Garmatter 5 1-2 15, White 0 0-2 0, Stackhouse 2 0-0 4, Busch 2 0-0 5, Monday 3 3-5 10, Schaadt 5 2-4 12. Totals: 17/6-11/46. 3-pointers: L. Garmatter 4, Monday 1, Busch 1.
 
    1    2    3    4    F
Elid    7    23    9    14    53    
Bluf    14    16    10    6    46    

League-leading Bluffton (3-0 NWC) visits Northwest Conference foe Paulding (8-3, 1-2 NWC) Thursday, January 9 to resume conference play. Bluffton is 3-0 on the road this season.

The Lady Pirates (6-2 home) had not lost since November 22, when they fell 37-30 to visiting Cory-Rawson in the season-opener.