By: Colton Steiner
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton Beavers opened up 2025 by hosting the Hanover Panthers in an HCAC thriller. After a neck-in-neck first half, the Beavers rode a second half sprint, knocking off the Panthers 77-69. This victory moves Bluffton to an overall record of 3-9 and 2-3 in conference play, while Hanover drops to 6-6 on the season and 2-3 in the HCAC.
Hanover would start the game with a 7-3 lead, but a triple from Trevor Daughtry (Wabash, Ind.) made it a one-point game before the first media timeout. Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) wanted a piece of the action and immediately hit a three of his own to give the Beavers a 9-7 advantage. After a 5-2 run from Bluffton, the Panthers would go on a 9-2 spurt of their own to go up 18-16 with 8:32 left in the first half. The two teams battled for the rest of the half before the Beavers went into the break with a 35-33 advantage.
After four quick points from the visitors, a layup from Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) tied the game up, 37-37. Bluffton followed this with back-to-back buckets from Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian) and a jumper from Trevor Daughtry, taking a 43-37 lead with 16:31 left to play. The Panthers were able to cut the deficit to two points, but a clutch three from JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) and a free throw from Sihr Sumner (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) put the score at 51-45.
Hanover would fight back to make it a one-possession game, but a 7-0 run from the home team put them up front 61-52 with 6:16 remaining in regulation. A five-point spurt from the Panthers made it a four-point contest, but a William Layfield (West Chester/Lakota West) layup and an old fashioned three-point-play from Sihr Sumner pushed the Beavers ahead 71-62. After a pair of free throws from Hanover, William Layfield was able to find Sihr Sumner on the fast break to throw one home with only 47 seconds left on the clock. Ian Snelling would seal the victory for Bluffton, knocking down a pair of free throws as the Beavers walked away with the 77-69 win.
Bluffton hit a red-hot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) from the floor in the second half, finishing the game by shooting 50 percent (29-of-58). The Beavers were also able to knock down the outside shot, hitting 7-of-14 (50 percent) from behind the arc. While Hanover won the battle in the paint with a 36-28 edge, the Beavers had a strong 22-12 advantage in fast break points, while also winning the rebounding battle, 36-30.
Leading the way for Bluffton was Cam Rogers who scored a game-high 20 points with five boards. Ian Snelling would add 12 with three assists and a pair of steals, while Sihr Sumner scored 10 and snagged six rebounds. William Layfield and Trevor Daughtry both netted nine with three assists each.
The Beavers will look to carry this momentum into their next contest when they host the Anderson Ravens on Wednesday, Jan. 8, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
