Beavers Best Jackets in Rivalry Game

(Bluffton, Ohio)- The Yellow Jackets dropped game 77-62 against rivals, Bluffton Beavers, in HCAC play on Wednesday evening.

The beginning of the game was a close one, trading points back and forth. With the Beavers hanging on to the lead, Rogers sinks a pair of free throws and Carruthers got a layup for a DC 3 point lead. Only a few minutes later the Beavers went on a 7-0 run to steal the lead away with a score of 15-11 with 2:54 left in the first. Cassidy Yant with a bucket cut the Bluffton lead to 2 points, but the Beavers scored a few more to make the deficit 5 points heading into the second quarter.

Opening the second quarter, Carruthers cut the lead to 3 points, 20-17 before Bluffton went off on a 15-2 run to take the score to 35-19 still with 5:17 left in the half. A three pointer by senior Whitney Schalk ended the run. A couple buckets from Rogers and Carruthers, and a Bluffton jumper ended the half Beavers up 41-29.

For most of the third quarter, DC and Bluffton traded points, the Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to 10, but couldn’t find the momentum to cut the deficit to single digits. Bluffton pulled away with a 5 point run making it 59-14 but Defiance scored the last 3 points of the third quarter. Going in to the last quarter with a score of 59-47, Bluffton still with the lead. Bluffton took a lead as high as 20 points and finished the game with a score of 77-62, taking a victory on their home court.

Mekai White said, “We realized how important our bench was and how much we needed everyone on the team from starters to the last person on the bench.”

Danielle Carruthers led the scoring with 18 points and 6 rebounds, Lauren Rogers with 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Whitney Schalk with 4 assists.

DCWBB returns to action at the Weaner Center on Saturday, January 10th for another HCAC matchup with Mount St. Joseph at 1pm.

Written by Jessi Davis