BLANCHESTER – Sophomore sensation Brayden Sipple poured in 40 points to lead Blanchester to an 86-58 Southern Buckeye Conference National Division victory over cross-county rival East Clinton Wednesday.

His first two points came before the game even started, a pair of technical free throws because of an East Clinton administrative faux pas.

Sipple scored the first eight points of the game. The exclamation point was a two-handed jam.

He finished the opening period with 21 points to stake the Wildcats (3-4, 1-2) to a 28-7 advantage.

The Astros (0-6, 0-3) scored the first six points of the second quarter. Blan’s lead bounced between 15 and 20 after that until a 9-2 Wildcat spurt midway through the third quarter made the score 61-34, the largest margin to that point.

Sipple’s 34th and 35th points, at the 6:10 mark of the fourth quarter, put Blan up 30, 72-42.

He added five more points in the next 68 seconds before leaving the game for good.

The Wildcats’ largest lead of the game was 81-50 with 3:08 left in the contest.

Hunter Bare and Jacksson Waialae joined Sipple in double-figures with 11 points each.

Branson Smith led EC with 17 points. Matt Mitchell chipped in with 10.

SUMMARY

December 19, 2019

@Blanchester High School

Blanchester 86 East Clinton 58

EC 07.21.12.18…..58

BL 28.20.20.18…..86

(58) EAST CLINTON (fg-ft-tp) B. Smith 6-2-17, Rolfe 0-0-0, Neanover 3-0-6, Mitchell 2-6-10, Vadnais, 4-0-9, J. Smith 2-1-5, Runyon 1-0-3, Tolle 1-0-3, Norman 0-0-0, Swayne 0-5-5, Peterman 0-0-0. Total 19-14-58. 3-point goals: 6 (B. Smith 3, Runyon, Tolle, Vadnais). FTM-FTA 14-18, 78 percent.

(86) BLANCHESTER (fg-ft-tp) Sipple 15-8-40, Heeg 2-0-5, Creager 3-0-7, Waialae 4-0-11, Bare 5-1-11, Roy 1-0-2, Hopkins 2-2-7, Abbott 0-0-0, Ashcraft 0-2-2, Heitzman 0-0-0, Grogg 0-0-0, Highlander 0-1-1. Total 32-14-86. 3-point goals: 8 (Waialae 3, Sipple 2, Heeg, Creager, Hopkins). FTM-FTA 14-24, 58 percent.