Photos by Marvin Foster
BLUFFTON - The balanced Bluffton girls basketball team rode a huge second period to a 64-28 victory over visiting local rival Ada in Northwest Conference action Thursday night.
The Lady Bulldogs trailed just 10-7 after the first period. But then the Lady Pirates blew it open with a 23-8 second stanza as seven players scored.
Bluffton then extended its lead to 31 points at 53-22 with a 20-7 third quarter.
Four Pirate girls scored in double figures, and 10 Bluffton players hit the scoring column in all.
The purple and gold dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with the defeat. Bluffton evened its record at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the NWC with the win.
Liberty used a stout defensive effort to key a 67-45 victory over Hampton, Wednesday evening at Liberty Arena. The Lady Flames held the Lady Pirates to 21.7 percent field goal shooting, blocked six shots and came up with a season-high 12 steals.
Liberty (2-3) improves to 2-0 at the brand-new Liberty Arena despite a sluggish start which saw the Lady Flames manage only five first-quarter points. Liberty broke the game open by outscoring its in-state foe 46-18 during the middle two periods.
Hampton (0-1) drops its season opener despite a strong performance by Preseason All-Big South forward Nylah Young (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals). The Lady Pirates other 11 players combined to shoot just 9-of-54 from the field.