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[Rocketcorner News]

Allen East Wins a Close One
Pirates Drop 7th Straight

BLUFFTON, Ohio- The Pirates are no strangers to close basketball games. In fact, in every game this season, with the exception of a 78-45 loss to Bath High School, the Pirates have lost by an average margin of only 7 points. Wednesday night was no exception to this trend as the Pirates took a lead late into the game, but fell just short of victory as a strong Allen East fourth quarter propelled the Mustangs to a 52-49 victory over the Pirates in the consolation game of the 2011 Bluffton McDonalds Holiday Tournament.

The Mustangs came out in a 3-2 zone to start the game, forcing the Pirates to work the ball around the perimeter, drive to the hoop through gaps in the zone, and take some open jump shots. Junior Michael Donley kindly took to this concept, scoring 8 of the Pirates 13 first quarter points, shooting a perfect 1-1 from the field and 2-2 from the three point line. Allen East did well to keep pace with the Pirates, making tough shots
to score 13 points of their own, led by senior Dylan Mulholland’s 5 points and junior Tanner Richardson’s 4.
The Pirates continued to work the ball around and take good shots as they started the second quarter on a 10-1 run. That run consisted of a balanced distribution of points as Bluffton received scores from 4 different sources (Donley, Matt Gillett, Austin Bricker, and Jordan Skilliter). However, the Mustangs refused to let the game get away as they went on their own 7-0 run to end the half down by only two, 23-21.

At halftime, Bluffton’s Michael Donley led all scorers with 11 points, shooting 1-2 from the field, 2-2 on threes, and 3-4 from the free throw line. Dylan Mulholland and Tanner Richardson each topped Allen East’s first half effort with 7 points.

Things stayed the same for the first four minutes of the second half as the two teams went back and forth, trading baskets and knotting the score at 28 all. However, after an Allen East timeout with 3:46 remaining in the third quarter, the Pirates went on a 9-4 run to end the frame with a 5 point lead, the first time that Bluffton had taken a lead into the fourth quarter all season.

The final frame would not bode well for the Pirates as the Mustangs used size to start the quarter on a 6-0 run, led by 4 points from 6’4” post player Tanner Richardson. The Pirates were able to take the lead back with a Matt Gillett three pointer, but as they sank a some guys into the post on defense in an attempt to slow Richardson, Dylan Mulholland was able to get open and hit two three pointers in a row, puttting the Mustangs up by four. “They put the ball down in the post a couple of times early in the quarter and got it back to a one score game. Then they continued to put it down into the post and Mulholland hit a three… When we commit so many guys into the paint because of our size, it opens up some things on the perimeter. We were hurt by that a few times tonight,” said Bluffton Coach Todd Boblitt.

The Pirates continued to battle, however, getting the score to within three with 24 seconds left. After a Mustang missed free throw, the Pirates had one last chance. Tight Allen East defense forced the Pirates to scramble for an open shot. Matt Gillett finally found an opening with 3 seconds left and threw up a three pointer, but it fell well short of the basket, ending the game with the Pirates on the losing end of a 52-49 score.

Allen East’s Richardson’s 10 point fourth quarter helped set him above all scorers as he ended the night with 21 points, shooting 9-13 from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line. Teammate Dylan Mulholland finished close behind with 18 points on 2-4 from the field, 4-6 from the three, and 2-2 from the free throw line. Other Mustangs in the book were Tyler Friesner (4 points), Matt Shuey (2 points), James Richardson (4 points), and Logan Rex (3 points).

The Pirates point production came from common sources as this season’s leading scorers, Matt Gillett and Michael Donley, finished with 20 points and 18 points, respectively. Gillett shot 4-9 from the field and 4-12 from the three point line while Donley added a 3-6 performance from the field, 3-5 from three, and 4-6 from the free throw stripe.

The Pirates are winless this season with a 0-7 record, but there are still some bright spots. As mentioned earlier, Bluffton is keeping the score close, giving them a chance to win ballgames. According to Coach Boblitt, his team has spurts where they play well, but they are not able to do so the whole game. Boblitt said, “I think our execution at the offensive end has been pretty good, but we want to be more consistent at that. That’s still kind of our bug right now, we play well for a few minutes but we’re not consistent in getting the job done for long stretches of time.”

The Pirates will travel to Kenton next Tuesday in their next contest to take on a 2-3 Kenton Wildcats squad that beat the Pirates 71-67 last year in overtime. The Mustangs will be back in action next Friday, January 6th, as home against Spencerville.

Arlington won the tournament championship in the late game, beating Cory-Rawson 56-43.

All-Tournament Team:
Michael Donley (Bluffton)
Tanner Richardson (Allen East)
Jeremiah Alspach (Cory-Rawson)
Grant Marshall (Cory-Rawson)
Jake Leonard (Arlington)
Andrew Hunter (Arlington)

MVP: Thane Recker (Arlington)