Bluffton’s Blake Sommers (21) dribbles the ball as Crestview’s Jaret Harting defends him in the first half Friday at Convoy. Sommers led the Pirates with 16 points, and Harting led Crestview with 13 points.
Jessica Trinko | The Lima News
CONVOY — The ball bounced on the rim for what felt like an eternity — bouncing, bouncing, bouncing before it started to roll.
It wasn’t until Wade Ginther’s driving shot right at the basket finally rolled in through the net with 2.8 seconds remaining that Bluffton sealed an improbable 53-52 comeback win Friday night at Crestview. It proved the Pirates’ mettle, beating a tough opponent without their leading scorer and showed they belong atop the Northwest Conference standings.
“I heard coach say, ‘Attack the rim,’ and so I did,” said Ginther, who finished with nine points. “I saw (the defender) go to the left, and then I went right and put it up and fell to the ground. I saw it going around the basket, and I have to admit it scared me for a little bit.”
The fear turned to jubilation as the ball settled in for the one-point lead. After a timeout, Crestview’s 3-point attempt from near the volleyball line fell short.
The late-game heroics didn’t surprise coach Todd Boblitt of the Pirates (9-1, 3-0 NWC).
“To start with, you have to know who shoots it,” he said. “That’s our guy, you know. He has done everything the right way his entire career. He’s a tremendously skilled point guard, and he’s now made two game-winning baskets for us like that.”
The Pirates were without their leading scorer, Marek Donaldson. Boblitt said Donaldson and his 16 points per game will be out for a few games with “some health issues,” but Donaldson celebrated with his teammates via video on a phone after the game.
Bluffton fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter as the Pirates figured out who they were without Donaldson, who set a school record with nine 3-pointers in last Saturday’s game against Van Buren. He hadn’t missed a game in three years prior to Friday.
The answer proved to be Blake Sommers, who scored all seven first-quarter points as the Pirates trailed 20-7 in the first quarter. He finished with 16 points.
Wade Ginther and Terron Boblitt each added nine points. John-Paul Yoder had seven rebounds for Bluffton.
“We’re definitely not a one-man band,” coach Boblitt said. “We have a skilled group. I think you saw us in the first quarter really kind of fight to find ourselves.”
Sommers said Bluffton didn’t lose confidence in itself.
“After the first quarter, we got to sit down and say we could change our game plan. We found out today that we’re a great team,” Sommers said. “Marek’s a great player, and when he gets back, we’ll be even better. Right now, we just kind of adapt without him and keep pushing.”
It actually looked like Hayden Perrott of Crestview (8-5, 1-2 NWC) would be the hero of the game, after officials whistled a foul on his 3-point attempt with the Knights trailing by two. Perrott calmly sank all three for a one-point lead. That narrative fell apart after Ginther’s dramatic drive to the basket.
The Knights had a lot of success inside the paint early in the game, with Kellin Putman and Connor Sheets each scoring eight points in the first quarter. Bluffton only gave up one more bucket to that duo the rest of the game.
“Early on, I thought we did a really good job of getting in the paint and attack the basket,” Crestview coach Doug Etzler said. “Then as the game went on, more and more we settled for jump shots.”
Jaret Harting led the Knights with 13 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Wren Sheets added 12 points, and Connor Sheets finished with 11.
The win keeps Bluffton in a first-place tie atop the NWC standings with Spencerville and Allen East, which both won Friday and haven’t lost in the league yet. It felt even better to do it at Crestview, which has 19 league championships and went to the Division IV state championship game last year.
“It’s amazing,” Ginther said. “We know what Crestview is about; we know what their program is about. So every time you win, especially getting a win like this on the road, it’s just great.”
Sommers added, “It’s just so much fun to be here with my teammates enjoying this moment. You’re only in high school once. You have to enjoy it.”
Bluffton 53, Crestview 52
Bluffton 7 14 11 21 — 53
Crestview 20 6 9 17 — 52
BLUFFTON
Kerry Wright 2, Wade Ginther 9, Terron Boblitt 9, Landen Worcester 4, Blake Sommers 16, Brody Sommers 2, John-Paul Yoder 6, Luke Ginther 5. Totals: 22- 4- 53.
CRESTVIEW
Hayden Perrott 6, Kellin Putman 8, Tommy Hefner 2, Jaret Harting 13, Wren Sheets 12, Connor Sheets 11. Totals: 21- 9- 52.
3-pointers: B-Bl.Sommers 2, Boblitt 1, L.Ginther 1, Worcester 1; C-Perrott 1.
Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
