By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - The balanced Bluffton girls basketball team rode a huge second period to a 64-28 victory over visiting local rival Ada in Northwest Conference action Thursday night.
The Lady Bulldogs trailed just 10-7 after the first period. But then the Lady Pirates blew it open with a 23-8 second stanza as seven players scored.
Bluffton then extended its lead to 31 points at 53-22 with a 20-7 third quarter.
Four Pirate girls scored in double figures, and 10 Bluffton players hit the scoring column in all.
The purple and gold dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with the defeat. Bluffton evened its record at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the NWC with the win.
"Overall we competed but we still need to take care of the ball and find a way to score," said Ada third-year head coach Morgan Bass.
"We did some good things offensively just not consistently enough. We may have two or three on the floor connect, but the others don't," she added.
Lady Pirate junior post Kylie Stackhouse led the victors with 14 points. Laykin Garmatter, Riley Eachus and Sami Scoles contributed 12 points apiece.
Scoles tallied all 12 of her points in the decisive middle quarters where Bluffton outscored Ada, 43-15. Seven Pirates also scored in the third period.
Ada sophomore playmaker Courtney Sumner led the Bulldogs with 12 points. Junior Kirsten Poling netted six points, and freshman guard Olivia Burkhart added four.
The Lady Bulldogs sank a dozen field goals, hitting 10 two-pointers and two shots from three-point land. The Bulldogs canned two of five foul shots (40 percent).
The Pirate girls canned 23 field goals, including 16 two-pointers and seven triples. Bluffton converted 11 of 14 free throw attempts (79 percent).
Bluffton also won the reserve contest, 27-6.
Ada 28 (1-4, 0-2 NWC)
Sumner 4 2-3 12, Poling 3 0-0 6, Burkhart 2 0-0 4, Light 2 0-2 4, Waugh 1 0-0 2, King 0, Acheson 0, Jordan 0.
Totals: 10-2/2-5/28. 3-pointer: Sumner 2.
Bluffton 64 (3-3, 1-1 NWC)
Bischoff 1 0-0 2, L. Garmatter 4 1-2 12, Stackhouse 6 2-2 14, Busch 0 3-4 3, Bricker 1 1-2 3, Eachus 5 0-0 12, Scoles 4 2-2 12, Monday 1 0-0 2, Hasting 1 0-0 2, Fruchey 0 2-2 2.
Totals: 16-7/11-14/64. 3-pointers: L. Garmatter 3, Scoles 2, Eachus 2.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 7 8 7 6 28
Blf 10 23 20 11 64
JV: Bluffton 27, Ada 6.
Ada (0-2 home) hosts non-league foe Van Buren Tuesday, December 15. The Lady Bulldogs are scoring 32.8 points a game through five contests.
Bluffton entertains North Baltimore in a non-conference game Dec. 12.
