Basketball Game Preview: Bluffton Pirates vs. Crestview Knights

Bluffton and Crestview are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2015, but not for long. The Bluffton Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Crestview Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Saturday, Bluffton greeted the New Year with with a 58-40 victory over Van Buren. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 155th, while the Black Knights are ranked 433rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Crestview entered their tilt with Antwerp on Saturday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Archers 71-35. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Crestview pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 25.6 points. As for Bluffton, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-1.

Bluffton barely slipped by Crestview in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 53-52. Does Bluffton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Crestview turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.