Boys basketball: Columbus Grove hands Bluffton its first NWC loss

COLUMBUS GROVE — Columbus Grove has been striving this season to find ways to close out games.

Friday night, against Northwest Conference-leader Bluffton, Columbus Grove claimed the lead, and then closed it out down the stretch for a 57-46 boys high school basketball victory.

With the win, Columbus Grove (12-6, 3-3 NWC) handed Bluffton (14-2, 6-1 NWC) its first NWC loss of the season.

“We were up 17 (points), going into the fourth (quarter), thankfully,” Columbus Grove head coach Chris Sautter said. “We’re still struggling to find ways to really execute and secure wins down the stretch.

“But if I’m going to trust them, I’ll have to live with some of the less than intelligent things that we do. Hopefully, every time we’re in that situation (have a lead late in the game), we learn from it — in the aspect of finishing games.”

Trey Sautter, Coach Sautter’s son, led Columbus Grove with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Bo Birnesser had 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Jacksen Schroeder scored 11, including two 3-pointers. Schroeder also had five assists and two steals. Brayden Bellman, a 6-foot, 6-inch post player for the Bulldogs, had 10 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Coach Sautter was especially pleased with the performance of Bellman.

“He (Bellman) does a lot for us, defensively,” Sautter said. “At the start of the game, they did a nice job of kind of pulling him out of the lane; and he wasn’t quite sure how far to come out and guard. But once he got comfortable, he was able to get in there and change some shots, get some rebounds and block some shots.”

Columbus Grove shot well from behind the 3-point line. On the night, the Bulldogs were 9 of 16 on 3-pointers.

“You hit some, and you feel good about yourself,” Sautter said with a smile. “We probably took a couple that weren’t that great, but you don’t want to discourage them on taking those shots, if they feel confident.”

Kyler Kinn led Bluffton with 17 points and eight rebounds. Trey Boblitt, head coach Todd Boblitt’s son, had 15 points, five rebounds and two steals. Trenton Donley added 11 points, including two 3-pointers for the Pirates.

The score was knotted up five times in the first quarter before Columbus Grove finally came away with a 19-16 lead by the first stop.

Both teams shot well in the first stanza. Columbus Grove was 8 of 13 from the field, while Bluffton was 6 of 9.

Birnesser led the Bulldogs with eight first-quarter points, including two 3-pointers. Sautter added seven points.

Bluffton kept it close early in the second quarter.

Then Columbus Grove made a run.

The Bulldogs pushed their lead out to nine points by the halftime break, 30-21.

Schroeder nailed a 3-pointer with 1:35 left in the half to give Columbus Grove a 28-21 lead.

Then, in the final seconds of the half, Zach Reynolds (five points) scored inside to give the Bulldogs the nine-point cushion.

For the half, Bluffton was 8 of 20 from the floor for 40 percent. Columbus Grove was 13 of 25 from the floor for 52 percent.

Schroeder led the Bulldogs in the first half with nine points. Boblitt paced the Pirates with nine points.

“We tell them to break it down into three possessions,” Sautter said. “It’s a long game. You have to kind of break it into segments. We need to do things as we go. If you do those things, you should be able to win the game.”

Columbus Grove made a run to open the second half.

By the third stop, the Bulldogs led 49-32. Columbus Grove connected four times behind the 3-point line in the third stanza, while connecting on a total of 7 of 9 shots from the field.

In the final eight minutes, Columbus Grove held off a couple Bluffton runs to secure the huge win.

For the game, Bluffton shot 44 percent from the field. Columbus Grove connected on 51 percent of its field goal attempts.

Bluffton committed 14 turnovers on the night, while Columbus Grove turned it over 10 times.

Bluffton held a slight 26-25 edge on the boards.

Columbus Grove’s Trey Sautter puts up a shot against Bluffton’s Trenton Donley during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Bluffton’s Nate Schaadt attempts a shot against Columbus Grove’s Brayden Bellman during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Columbus Grove’s Jacksen Schroeder lets a shot loose against Bluffton’s Trenton Donley during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Bluffton’s Kyler Kinn puts up a shot against Columbus Grove’s Trey Sautter during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Columbus Grove’s Jacksen Schroeder, left, and Bluffton’s Kyler Kinn (3) battle for a rebound during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Columbus Grove’s Bo Birnesser defends against Bluffton’s Trey Boblitt during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Bluffton’s Trenton Donley, left, and Columbus Grove’s Brayden Bellman compete for a rebound during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Columbus Grove’s Birnesser attempts a shot against Bluffton’s Kyler Kinn during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove.

Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.