BY CORT REYNOLDS
ADA - A two-week layoff did nothing to dull the shooting eye of the Crestview girls basketball team.
The visiting Lady Knights shot over 60 percent from the field and also employed a tough defense to stifle Ada 75-35 and record a convincing Northwest Conference victory Thursday night.
The Lady Bulldogs had their three-game win streak snapped as they fell to 4-4 overall and 0-3 in NWC action. Crestview improved to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the NWC with their third consecutive victory.
"We didn't do anything well," admitted third-year Bulldog head coach Bill Taflinger. "Our rebounding was bad and we did not shoot well, but we played hard."
"We shot the ball well and moved the ball well," said Crestview head coach Mark Gregory. "But it was our defensive effort from the get go, with our fullcourt press and halfcourt defense, that got us going. We were able to get some turnovers and then attack the basket."
Crestview placed nine players in the scoring column, led by 20 from sharpshooting junior guard Lyvia Black.
"We had a very balanced effort on offense," Gregory observed.
Crestview raced to an 8-0 start and never trailed after Lexi Gregory netted the first two baskets of the contest. The tight Lady Knight fullcourt press forced five early Ada turnovers, and seven miscues overall in the opening stanza.
Maddie Gossard drained a left wing three-pointer for the first Ada points with 3:21 to go in the first period. Sophomore Rilan Conley canned a layup off a good pass from junior Teara Coulson to inch the purple and gold within 10-5.
But then Black nailed a pull-up shot and swished a top of the key trey just before the first quarter buzzer to give the visitors a 15-5 lead.
Knight reserve guard Alyssa Gent banked in a triple to open the second period. A fast break layin by Paige Motycka extended the lead to 21-5.
Gossard drained her second trifecta, then sank a putback three-point play inside to cut the deficit to 25-12 3:32 before intermission.
Gregory then buried a triple from the top of the key. The heady guard later stole the ball and coasted in for a layup, then nailed a left side triple just before the half to give Crestview a 35-13 at intermission.
Black started a personal 11-point third quarter barrage by swishing a three from out top. Motycka rattled home a trey, then sank a transition basket. She added a pull-up 16-footer to make it 45-16.
Black then resumed her perimeter sniping. She drained a long right wing trey, then splashed a corner triple. Black hit her fourth outside shot in a row, an 18-footer from the left corner. Avery McCoy canned two foul shots to cap a 14-0 Knight flurry.
Bulldog senior guard Haley Wyss stopped the run with a free throw. Wyss then banked in an off-balance 16-foot leaner a second before the horn to pull Ada within 58-19.
Gent continued the outside assault by drilling a pair of right wing triples early in the final stanza. Lauryn Black sank a pull-up banker, followed by an Emma Bowen putback layin.
Ada's Anney Archer and Raina England each split a pair of foul shots, and then the speedy Archer canned a driving shot with 5:17 remaining.
Gossard knocked down a left corner trey and a backdoor layin to make the score 65-30. Wyss converted two foul shots yet Lizzie Bowen netted a stickback inside.
Crestview end the game on a 10-3 surge, with Gossard's left wing trey the lone Ada basket down the final stretch. Bowen fittingly ended the red-hot Knight night by nailing a left baseline 16-footer shortly before time expired to provide the final margin of 40.
Gossard, who canned four three-point goals, was the only Bulldog in double digits with 17 points. Wyss added eight. Knight freshman guard Lexi Gregory and junior wing Paige Motycka each netted a dozen points to support Lyvia Black.
"We played hard, and it all started with good defense," added coach Gregory.
Ada sank only 11 field goals and hit on four triples, and converted nine of 17 free throws. Crestview knocked down 10 three-point goals among their 31 baskets, and hit just three of seven foul shots.
Hot-shooting Crestview also won a two-quarter reserve game.
Ada 35 (4-4, 0-3 NWC)
M. Gossard 6 1-1 17, Coulson 0 0-2 0, Wyss 2 4-6 8, Vore 1 1-2 3, Archer 1 2-4 4, Newland 0, England 0 1-2 1, Conley 1 0-0 2, Swick 0. Totals: 11/9-17/35. 3-pointers: M. Gossard 4.
Crestview 75 (4-4, 1-2 NWC)
Motycka 5 1-3 12, Lyv. Black 8 0-0 20, Gent 3 0-0 9, Al. McCoy 1 0-0 2, E. Bowen 1 0-2 2, L. Bowen 3 0-0 6, Av. McCoy 2 2-2 6, Gregory 5 0-0 12, Lau. Black 3 0-0 6.
Totals: 31/3-7/75. 3-pointers: Ly. Black 4, Gent 3, Gregory 2, Motycka 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 5 8 6 16 35
Cvw 15 20 23 17 75
JV: Crestview 31, Ada 18.
Ada visits Hardin County rival Kenton Saturday afternoon, with a two-quarter JV game starting at noon. "Kenton can shoot it, handle the ball well, and they have a good inside game," Taflinger warned. "They will be as good or better than what we faced tonight."
