By ANDREW FEEBACK
For three-and-a-half quarters Saturday night, the Bluffton Tigers had the visiting Mississinewa Indians right where they wanted them.
The Tigers led throughout, once by as many as 12 points, but couldn’t withstand a late flurry of three-point shooting from the Indians and fell 49-48.
“I feel bad for the kids,” coach Craig Teagle said. “Probably for 28 minutes, that’s as well as we’ve played all year as a team. It’s too bad we couldn’t find a way to win, but (the Indians are) also 13-7 for a reason. They’re a pretty good basketball team.”
Bluffton survived one second-half run by Mississinewa, but was unable to survive another.
Leading by eight at the break, the Tigers (10-11) were still ahead 29-21 with about three minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Indians’ Kobe Johnson made his team’s first triple of the game moments later, the first of seven treys that proved to be just enough to flip the game in favor of the visitors.
“They’re a little quicker than us on the perimeter, and we wanted to have a high hand, but also keep them from driving,” Teagle said.
Johnson made another to bring the Indians within 31-29, but Bluffton’s Andrew Hunt beat the third quarter buzzer with a three that circled the rim, hit the backboard and dropped in to give the Tigers a five-point edge.
That started a 10-0 run that gave Bluffton its largest lead of the night with 6:07 to play when Tucker Jenkins made two free throws.
The Indians began to press and trap from that point, and although Bluffton turned it over only twice in the final quarter, 11 turnovers for the game resulting in 11 points the other way had consequences.
One of those giveaways led to an A’Jean Johnson triple that cut the Tiger lead to 42-37.
The Tigers found Kaleb Green for an open layup to go up seven before Kobe Johnson nailed another long one.
“I do want to compliment our guys, when we were getting half-court trapped,” Teagle said. “We were doing a much better job of attacking and looking to get a basket. In the past, we just moved the ball, but were really not looking to score. We want to be aggressive, and I thought tonight we did that. Except, we were trading twos for threes.”
Axton Beste’s corner three-pointer had the Tigers up 47-40 with two minutes to go. A’Jean Johnson responded with another one from the wing.
Again, the Tigers found an opening in the Indians’ half-court pressure and got it to Andrew Hunt. But he missed.
Yet another triple from Preston McCann brought the Indians within one with a minute remaining.
Bluffton worked the clock down to 31 seconds before Kaleb Green was fouled. He split a pair from the line, and the Tigers were up two.
This time, Kobe Johnson drove to the hoop, scored and was fouled with 14 seconds left. His free throw gave Mississinewa its first and only lead of the game.
Hunt’s three attempt from the top of the key was off the mark, and the Indians snuck out with the victory.
“I can’t fault our kids on the threes,” Teagle said. “They had to get the ball stopped and recover. Those guys got hot and hit some shots. It was the other end, there were a couple plays we didn’t make.”
Jenkins led the Tigers with 16 points while Beste had 11.
Kobe Johnson paced the Indians with 16 while Kiontaye Woods added 10.
Bluffton will host Southwood Friday night.
Mississinewa made it a clean sweep by taking the junior varsity and freshman games, 40-29 and 35-33. For the JV Tigers, Nolan Lambert scored 11 points, while Marshal Gerber and Ben Maggard both had five. For the freshmen, Jonah Geisel and Chanley Shaw each scored seven, while Max White and Heath Johnson both had six.
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MISSISSINEWA 49,
BLUFFTON 48
At Mississinewa
MISSISSINEWA (13-7): Jesse Simpkins 1-5 0-0 2, A’Jean Johnson 2-4 0-0 6, Grady Schnepp 0-0 0-0 0, Remedy Miranda-May 0-0 0-0 0, Nolan Quaderer 0-1 0-0 0, Preston McCann 3-7 0-0 8, Gannon Smith 1-4 0-0 2, Drew Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Kobe Johnson 5-7 3-3 16, Jaxson Ott 2-4 1-2 5, Tyvon Jacobs 0-0 0-0 0, Deakon Dilts 0-0 0-0 0, Kiontaye Woods 4-5 2-2 10. TOTALS: 18-37 6-7 49.
BLUFFTON (10-11): Nolan Lambert 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Hunt 2-6 0-0 5, Elijah Garrett 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Wenger 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Williams 2-3 0-0 6, Tucker Jenkins 3-7 10-10 16, Jude Baumgartner 0-0 0-0 0, Axton Beste 4-8 0-0 11, Declan Grieser 1-1 1-2 3, Jared Moser 0-0 0-0 0, Kaleb Green 3-5 1-4 7, Benjamin Maggard 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 15-30 12-16 48.
Mississinewa 6 8 15 20 — 49
Bluffton 11 11 12 14 — 48
Three-point Field Goals: Mississinewa 7-16 (McCann 2-5, Kobe Johnson 3-4, A’Jean Johnson 2-3, Simpkins 0-2, Quaderer 0-1, Smith 0-1), Bluffton 6-12 (Beste 3-5, Williams 2-3, Hunt 1-4). Rebounds: Mississinewa 13 (McCann 3, Woods 2, Smith 2, Quaderer 2, Kobe Johnson 2, Dilts 1, Ott 1), Bluffton 18 (Jenkins 7, Green 3, Hunt 2, Williams 2, Beste 2, Grieser 2). Turnovers: Mississinewa 7, Bluffton 11. Fouls: Mississinewa 13, Bluffton 7. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None.
JV: Mississinewa 40, Bluffton 29.
Freshman: Mississinewa 35, Bluffton 33.
