By RICK SPRUNGER
The Bluffton Tigers are all smiles today.
Bluffton whipped Southwood Friday night, 65-38, to put a happy ending on an otherwise long season.
“Our guys executed the stuff,” said Bluffton coach Karl Grau after the game. “We played confident, we played together.
“It was fun to watch.”
It was definitely that.
A Bluffton team that has struggled on offense all season connected on 22 of 47 shots from the field for a solid 46.8 shooting percentage.
Included in that number was a whopping 9-for-17 from 3-point range.
Andrew Ball lit the match.
Ball hit three straight 3-pointers right out of the gate on his way to six treys on the night and a game-high 20 points.
“He shot the ball well,” complimented his coach later. “He got a lot of open looks.”
Those three early threes set the tone.
And while Southwood managed ties at 14-14 after one quarter and 16-16 early in the second, a 9-0 Bluffton run midway through the second quarter forced the Knights to play from behind for the rest of the game.
Sam Baumgartner started it with a 3-pointer from the right corner.
Carter McConnell hit the first of two free throws, Harrison Schreiber converted a three-point play on a rebound basket, and Ball added a pair of free throws for a 25-16 lead.
Meanwhile, Bluffton was giving Southwood nothing on its offensive end.
The Tigers forced 12 first-half turnovers, three of them on offensive fouls.
“I was really pleased with how we played defensively,” said Grau. “We forced them into some tough shots and got several turnovers.”
Bluffton was still on top, 42-29, in the final minute of the third quarter when another Tiger run put this one on ice.
Max Stoppenhagen started it with a steal and a layup for a 44-29 lead to end the period.
That started a streak of 12 straight points as Ball started the fourth quarter with two more 3-pointers, and Schreiber got loose for an easy bunny underneath followed by two free throws and a 54-29 spread.
“That’s the thing about Southwood,” added Grau. “They’re capable of scoring a lot of points, and they’re capable of coming from behind.
“They scored 85 the other night (against Eastbrook), and their pressure over a full game can wear you down.
“But we didn’t get worn down.
“We seemed to get stronger as the game went on.”
Schreiber joined Ball in double figures with 17 points for Bluffton, 12 of them in the second half.
McConnell and Schreiber led Bluffton to a 36-23 domination of the boards, McConnell with 10 and Schreiber with nine.
No one for Southwood scored more than 7 points.
“It was just really great to see (our guys) come away with a win, especially on Senior Night,” finished Grau.
Southwood won the junior varsity contest by a 40-37 score.
Bluffton was led by Hunter Wenger’s 15 points while Andrew Hunt added 8.
Bluffton won the freshman game, 43-11.
The Tigers got 15 points from Nolan Lambert and 10 from Kaleb Green.
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BLUFFTON 65, SOUTHWOOD 38
At Bluffton High School
SOUTHWOOD (11-11): Nathan Lehner 2-8 2-5 6, Cole Winer 3-8 1-2 7, Derrick Smith 3-10 0-2 7, Dylan Stout 1-1 0-0 2, Jason Oprisek 3-9 0-0 6, Isaiah Sutton 2-3 1-1 5, Will Winer 0-1 0-0 0, Randy Boone 0-1 0-0 0, Kaden Rody 1-2 0-0 2, Blayne Hamilton 1-1 0-0 3. TOTAL: 16-44 4-10 38.
BLUFFTON (4-18): Max Stoppenhagen 3-13 2-3 8, Harrison Schreiber 7-11 3-3 17, Markis Crosbie 0-1 0-0 0, Carter McConnell 2-5 5-9 9, Andrew Ball 6-11 2-2 20, Sam Baumgartner 2-4 0-0 6, Tucker Jenkins 1-1 0-0 3, Fletcher Wenger 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Wenger 1-1 0-0 2. TOTAL: 22-47 12-17 65.
Southwood 14 6 9 9 –– 38
Bluffton 14 15 15 21 –– 65
Three-point Goals: Southwood 2-10 (Lehner 0-3, C. Winer 0-2, Smith 1-3, Oprisek 0-1, Hamilton 1-1). Bluffton 9-17 (Stoppenhagen 0-3, Ball 6-9, Baumgartner 2-4, Jenkins 1-1). Rebounds: Southwood 23 (C. Winer 5, Oprisek 5), Bluffton 36 (McConnell 10, Schreiber 9, Stoppenhagen 5, Ball 5). Turnovers: Southwood 19, Bluffton 21. Fouls: Southwood 18, Bluffton 11. Fouled Out: C. Winer. Technical fouls: None.
JV: Southwood 40, Bluffton 37
Freshmen: Bluffton 43, Southwood 11
