Sports

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Grandey sets rebound record

By Cort Reynolds

MILLER CITY – The Bluffton High School girls basketball team went on the road and defeated tough non-conference foe Miller City 38-28 on December 28.

The visitors outscored Miller City 22-12 in the second half to break away from a halftime tie and emerge victorious by 10.

Pirate 6-2 senior post Ayla Grandey also set the program record for career rebounds in the win.

Bluffton improved to 6-4 overall after the impressive road victory. MC dropped to 8-3 after the Pirates handed them their first loss in six home games this season.

The Pirates led 10-5 after the opening quarter. The Wildcat girls rallied in the second period to tie it 16-16 after a low-scoring first half. 

Bluffton then took a 25-20 lead into the final period following a 9-4 third quarter. The Pirates captured the fourth period 13-8 by hitting five of their six free throw tries to clinch the win.

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By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON – The Bluffton High School boys basketball team lost a 55-53 nailbiter to Arlington in a clash of undefeated teams vying for the championship of the annual McDonald’s Holiday Classic on December 28 at Bluffton University's Sommer Center. 

The Pirates fell to 6-1 with their first defeat. Arlington improved to 9-0 after the championship win.

Pirate Blake Sommers scored a game-high 20 points, while Kain Wright tallied 13 markers. Guard Marek Donaldson added eight points. 

Bluffton led 10-7 after the first period, and maintained a 24-19 edge at halftime. Arlington turned the momentum around with a 20-13 third quarter that gave the Devils a 39-37 edge heading to the final stanza.

Arlington canned 10 of 16 foul shots in the fourth quarter to hold on and post the two-point win.

Wayne Trace defeated Emmanuel Christian 41-36 in the third-place consolation game earlier Saturday evening.

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By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON – The tournament host Bluffton High School boys basketball team dispatched Emmanuel Christian 63-44 in the semifinals of their annual McDonald’s Holiday Classic on December 27 at the Sommer Center.

The undefeated Pirates improved to 6-0 with another lopsided win. The Warriors out of Toledo fell to 4-4 after the defeat.

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Bowlus wins 2 races, Downey 1

By Cort Reynolds

LIMA - The Pirate swim teams competed well in the annual 26-team Bluffton Holiday Invitational meet at the Lima YMCA on December 27.

The Pirates finished sixth in the combined boys/girls team standings with 286 points. 

Ottawa-Glandorf won the overall meet with 552 points. Shawnee was second with 490, followed by St. Marys (389.5), Bryan (347) and Bluffton (286).

The Bluffton boys finished a strong fifth with 164 points. Shawnee captured the boys team crown with 322 points, followed by Findlay with 266. 

The Pirate girls came in eighth with 122 points. O-G won the girls team title with 287 points. St. Marys was second with 230.

Pirate junior Jackson Bowlus won the boys 100 butterfly by 1.13 ticks in 55.52. He also touched first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.17, 3.98 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Bluffton junior Jenna Downey touched first in the girls 50-yard freestyle in a time of 25.69. 

Downey also finished second in the girls 100 free in 57.1, 1.35 off the winning time.

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By Matt M. Stutz

The Pandora-Gilboa High School boy’s basketball team hosted a tough non-conference match-up on December 27 against the undefeated Patrick Henry Patriots. The Rockets started fast, jumping ahead 7-2 early in quarter number one. The Patriots settled in and led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter. From there, the Patriots never looked back and P-G fell by a final of 66-41.

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Shank wins heavyweight title

By Cort Reynolds

LIMA – The Bluffton High School wrestling team finished a strong second at the 12-team Allen County Invitational meet on December 21 that was hosted by Shawnee High School. 

Allen East beat out the Pirates 249.5 points to 206.5 to win the team title.

Bluffton’s Mason Shank won the heavyweight division championship with a perfect 5-0 mark on the day. 

Shank went 4-0 in pool play with three pins. He then decisioned Bath’s Kyle Slaght 9-4 in the bracket championship match to win the crown.

Freshman Ronald Kaufman went 3-0 in the 106 lbs. bracket and beat Lima Senior’s Corbin Phillips 15-2 in a majority decision for first place.

Junior Evan Grothause took second in the tough 190 lbs. division. He went 2-0 in pool play with two pins. He then pinned two more foes in the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the title bout.

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