By: Colton Steiner
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton Beavers would play host to the Manchester Spartans as they faced off for the first time this season. Despite a close first half, the Beavers would come out running in the second half, as they would pull away to knock off the Spartans 84-70. This marks Bluffton's first win over Manchester since February 15, 2022, where they won in double-overtime 89-84 on Copeland Court. With the win, the Beavers now sit at 8-11 on the season, with a 6-6 record in the HCAC, while Manchester drops to 2-17 overall and fall to 2-10 in conference play.
It would be a slow start for both teams, but a triple from Andre Irvin (Erlanger, Ky. / Dixie Heights) and a pair of free throws and a layup from Nevin Robson (Kenton, Ohio / Hardin Northern) put Bluffton up 9-5 with 15:19 left in the first half. With 13 minutes left in the first half, the Beavers would find themselves up 16-7 following a 7-2 run that was capped off with a William Layfield (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) lay in. After the two teams traded buckets, the Spartans would claw back into the game, and following back-to-back threes, the Beaver lead would be cut down to two with 4:53 left as they led 28-26. Bluffton would then outscore Manchester 8-4 to close out the first half as they would hold a 36-30 advantage at the break.
Despite the visitors scoring a layup in the first 30 seconds of the second half, the Beavers would find a rhythm on offense, going on an impressive 15-0 run as a Taron Logwood (Urbana, Ohio / West Liberty-Salem) layup with 14:45 left put the home team up front 51-32. Just over a minute later, Jaxon Foster (Lima, Ohio / Bath) would snag a steal and finish with authority with a right-hand slam to put Bluffton up 57-36. The home team would hold a double-digit lead over the next several minutes, and following a triple from the Spartans, JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind. / Franklin County) would capitalize off an alley-oop from Andre Irvin and throw it down with a two-handed dunk. The momentum would be in the Beavers hands following the finish, and on the following Manchester possession, William Layfield would poke the ball free and lay it in as Bluffton would hold a 78-59 lead with 4:25 left. The Spartans managed to outscore the Beavers 11-6 in the final minutes, but Bluffton would come away with a 84-70 win on their home court.
Finishing the night with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists was Nevin Robson, who secured his ninth career double-double. William Layfield and Andre Irvin tallied 12 and both dished out four dimes, while Layfield grabbed seven boards in the contest. Recording a career-high with 10 points was Taron Longwood, as Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky. / Dixie Heights) would lead the team in assists with eight while snagging nine rebounds.
A strong second half performance with a 61.1 percent (22-of-36) mark from the floor, allowed Bluffton to finish the contest shooting 49.3 percent (36-of-73). While Manchester would go 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from behind the arc, compared to 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) for the Beavers, the hosts dominated the paint, outscoring the visitors 50-30. Bluffton was all over the boards, holding a 42-31 edge in total rebounds, including a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The Beavers also got an impressive outing from their reserves, outscoring Manchester's bench 35-17. Solid defense from Bluffton allowed them to force 11 turnovers, along with holding an impressive 20-2 edge in fast break points.
The Beavers will look to keep this momentum going as they travel to Franklin to go up against the Grizzlies on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. Bluffton faced off against Franklin earlier in the season, where they secured an 84-74 win on their home court.
-Beavers-