By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Host Ada ran out to a big lead and held on to defeat local rival Allen East 40-32 Friday during their annual grudge match in the Northwest Conference boys basketball opener Friday night.
The Bulldogs improved to 2-2 and begin 1-0 in NWC play with the win, while the Mustangs fell to 2-2 and 0-1 in league action after the defeat.
Ada raced to a 12-2 advantage and led 15-5 after one period on the strength of a trio of three-pointers by junior guard Cade Mullins. Young and scrappy AE stayed within striking distance, but never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
"It was our first league win in 665 days since February 19, 2016," noted Ada second-year head coach Dre White. That last Ada NWC win came over Columbus Grove on a last-second shot by Jordan Bailey, 53-52.
The Bulldogs dominated the glass vs. AE, 39-27. Junior post Connor Frazier yanked down a game-high 15 rebounds and added 13 interior points.
"Rebounding was a big point of emphasis for us this week, and I thought we did a pretty good job on the boards," said White.
Cold-shooting AE did not score until a Brady Harris transition layup 4:17 into the first quarter. The second Mullins trey gave Ada a 12-2 lead at the 2:33 mark. His third triple came just before the first period buzzer and put the purple and gold ahead by 10.
The Mustangs pulled within 15-10 at the 5:55 mark of the second stanza after a right side trifecta by freshman guard Bradden Crumruine, and a Devin Reed layup.
Frazier aswered with a layup off a nice feed from Seth Conley. Reed picked up a loose ball and laid it in, followed by a Mullins right wing trey.
Bulldog sophomore Phillip Coulson sank a driving layup at the 1:22 mark to extend the lead to 22-12, which is how it stayed to intermission.
The 6-4 Reed canned a short bank shot to open the second half, yet the 6-5 Frazier responded with his own eight-foot banker. Reed scored again inside to cut it to 24-16, but then Ada went on a decisive 8-0 run to earn some breathing room.
Frazier sank a lane jumper, and then senior guard Ethan Swaney stole the ball near midcourt and cruised in for a layup. Next, Swaney drained a left corner triple and Frazier added a foul shot to double up AE at 32-16.
"That was a key stretch where we went from eight up to 16 ahead," White agreed.
Harris buried a three from out top to get the Mustangs within 32-19 heading to the final period.
Frazier knocked down a right side 17-footer to start the fourth. Mullins then canned a driving scoop shot high off glass to put the Bulldogs further ahead, 36-19.
A right corner trey from Harris and a Reed layup with 3:07 remaining inched the Mustangs within 36-25. After an Ada timeout, Coulson then drove baseline and sank a flying reverse layup.
AE freshman guard Tyler Clum answered with a nice up and under leaner shot from the left elbow to make it 38-27. But Zac Swaney buried a right baseline 14-footer off a nice rebound and kick-out assist by the hustling Conley.
Harris knocked down two foul shots and splashed a triple with 28 seconds to go, pulling AE within eight for the first time since early in the third period.
But Ada was able to run out the clock without any more scoring to seal the victory.
"I didn't like how we finished the game - we missed too many free throws and easy shots - but we got the job done," White summed up.
Mullins led Ada with a career-high 14 points, aided by his four treys.
Junior guard Harris topped AE with 13 points on three triples, while junior post Reed added a dozen markers inside.
Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch. Ada sank 17 of 54 field tries (31 percent) and canned five of 21 beyond the arc (24 percent). The Bulldogs made just one of seven foul shots (14 percent).
"We did not knock down shots like we need to," White warned.
AE found the net on just 33 percent of its field goal attempts (12-36), including four of 12 (33 percent) from three-point land. The Mustangs also converted just four of 11 at the charity stripe (36 percent).
Ada was charged with 17 turnovers while AE committed 14 miscues.
The Bulldog junior varsity won 48-46 in an overtime thriller to even its record at 2-2. Brandon Hull scored 16 points and Xavier Hollinger (seven points) canned three foul shots in the final minute of OT to lead the Ada reserves to victory.
Cole Fletcher paced the Mustang JV with 13 points.
Ada 40 (2-2, 1-0 NWC)
E. Swaney 2 0-0 5, Mullins 5 0-0 14, Frazier 6 1-3 13, Conley 0 0-1 0, Coulson 3 0-2 6, Hall 0, Z. Swaney 1 0-0 2, Zimmerly 0.
Totals: 17-54/1-7/40. 3-pointers (5-21): Mullins 4, E. Swaney 1.
AE 32 (2-2, 0-1 NWC)
Reed 6 0-1 12, Harris 4 2-4 13, McClure 0 0-1 0, Clum 1 2-5 4, Crumrine 1 0-0 3.
Totals: 12-36/4-11/32. 3-pointers (4-12): Harris 3, Crumrine 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 15 7 10 8 40
AE 5 7 7 13 32
JV: Ada 48, AE 46 (OT).
Ada (2-0 home) hosts former NWC foe Perry (2-3) Saturday evening. The Commodores (1-1 road) won at NWCC foe Waynesfield Friday night 70-56, and have lost three close games.
"On Saturday vs. Perry, it should be exciting when you welcome a state finalist from a year ago," White noted. "They have struggled early this year, they lost eight seniors, but it is still Perry.
"We will have to handle their pressure better than we did tonight," he warned. "We can't have the turnovers we had against Allen East."
