The odds were stacked against the South Adams Starfires from the very beginning Friday night in Bluffton. The Tigers had not dropped a game to the Stars in three years and last year’s scoreline was a whopping 81-19.
“This was one of those games where we needed to play a really good game,” said head coach Brett Freeman before the game, “and they can’t be playing well if we are going to have a chance at the end.”
A disastrous final minute of the first quarter doomed any chance that the Stars had of staying in Friday’s game, with Konley Ault scoring two buckets and the Tigers taking advantage of quick misses on hasty threes, with the final attempt leading to a fast break where Carlee Strunk beat the buzzer with a layup for a 23-10 lead.
Bluffton held their ACAC opponents to just 12 made field goals across the 32 minutes, with Ana Lehman accounting for half of them, three from inside the arc and outside.
The lead ballooned to 20 midway through the second quarter at 33-13 and Bluffton never looked back.
To the Starfires’ credit, the game did not go the route of last year’s 81-19 game.
Lehman finished with 17 points to lead the visitors, going just 2 for 6 from the line.
“Offensively, we turned the ball over way too many times against their physical, aggressive defense,” said Freeman after the loss. “When we took care of the ball, we got some real good looks.”
Konley Ault led all scorers with 20 points for the Tigers. Khloe Dick added 17 in the win, while Strunk had ten.
South Adams will host Winchester Monday and then go to Blackhawk Christian Tuesday.
Bluffton, now 5-2 on the year, will host New Haven Tuesday.
Fans of the Starfires can hear their game Saturday against Heritage on 92.7 FM, WZBD.
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