DELPHOS — It was the boys turn Friday night to battle as the Jefferson team was hoping to overcome Bluffton in a Northwest Conference cage matchup at “The Stage” in Delphos.

The game was a tight battle the whole time as it came down to the wire, where the Pirates ended up with the last basket for the 37-35 victory.

The second half was a real nail-bitter as it went back-and-forth, with lead changes and ties. It looked like a football game without pads as the referees allowed both teams to play very physically.

The defenses did a nice job of denying drives or passes to the post players. Matt Gerdeman (9 points, 9 rebounds) had a big third quarter for the Wildcats scoring five points inside; he was the only Wildcat to go to the foul line in the game.

Jefferson had some key turnovers that ended up costing them the game. Bluffton also had some turnovers that helped Jefferson keep the game tight and leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.

Gerdeman started the fourth quarter off with a basket 12 seconds in to tie it at 28, then Jordan Jettinghoff (10 points) scored a basket to give the Wildcats the lead. The Pirates tied it quickly; a Dan Nienberg 3-pointer put the Pirates up 33-32. With under a minute to go, Gerdeman drove to the basket for the basket-and-1 to give the Wildcats the edge by one. Jefferson then fouled Pat Garlock (10 points), who made 1-of-2 free throws to tie it with 14.1 seconds remaining. Garlock then came up with a big steal and drove to the basket for an easy layup to give the Pirates the victory.

“Garlock hit some big threes in the third quarter to get us some offense started and Drew Roby played a solid post to also get us some big baskets. Both teams struggled offensively and every possession was very critical,” stated Bluffton coach Todd Boblitt.

Garlock came up big for the Pirates as he hit a 5 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter to give the Pirates their first lead; Bluffton really dominated the quarter 16-6, owning the pace of the game a little more than the first half. Roby and Nienberg seemed to dominate the defensive boards. Jefferson outrebounded the Pirates but the Pirates’ rebounds came at more key times and they convert more, while Jefferson struggled once again to score. The Pirates led 28-26 entering the fourth.

“We got beat. We played with great effort. Garlock had some great plays that we just stood back and watched,” stated Jefferson coach Marc Smith.

The second quarter was close, with the Wildcats taking an 18-12 lead into the break. Jettinghoff gave the Wildcats some momentum after draining two threes but the Pirates’ defense held on. Kory Place (9 points) tallied five in the quarter.

The Wildcats shot 37 percent from the field, the Pirates 41 percent. The units combined for 24 turnovers.

“This was a very physically-played game as both teams were allowed to play. It almost turned into a football game which makes it tough to score as the paint is pretty well closed. The lanes were plugged, hand-checking and bumping on the perimeter makes it hard,” added Boblitt.

Jefferson got out to a good start as they took an early lead and kept it until the third. The defenses dominated the first quarter as there was a combined score of nine points — Jefferson 6-3 — as the buzzer sounded.

“Our defense held their team but when you cannot find a way to score more than 37 points, you’re not going to win,” added Smith.

The Wildcats (8-6, 2-4 NWC) host Ottoville today (1:30 p.m. JV start). The Pirates (8-7, 4-2 NWC) face USV.

In JV action the Wildcats prevailed 35-25. The Wildcats are now 9-5 (4-2 NWC), topped by Tyree DeWitt with 10 points. The Pirates are now 7-8 (2-4 NWC) behind Levi Gleason and Evan Skilliter with seven points each.