By Cort Reynolds
Top-seeded Arlington reeled off 23 unanswered first half points and went on to defeat Ada 53-13 in girls Div. IV sectional basketball final action Saturday evening at Allen East.
After getting a first round tournament bye, 12th-seeded Ada finished its campaign 1-21 with the loss. Meanwhile, sectional champion Arlington advances to the district semifinals February 28 at Ottawa-Glandorf with a 20-4 mark.
The Lady Red Devils will next face Bluffton.
"I am proud of our efforts, we busted our butts from start to finish," said Ada first-year head coach Morgan Bass of the game.
The score was 2-2 after Bulldog sophomore Alexis Waugh sank a short baseline shot.
Red Devil junior Lindsay Dodds hit a foul shot and senior Hannah Willow drained a triple to igite the decisive, prolonged 23-0 run.
Senior Jenna Pepple converted a conventional three-point play and Arlington finished the opening period on a 13-0 run to lead 15-2.
Dodds, Pepple and Willow each hit field goals early in period two as the Devils built a 25-2 advantage. Ada sophomore Miranda Wills split two foul shots to end a nearly 11-minute scoring drought.
Waugh then sank a short shot just before the halftime horn to make it 25-5 at intermission.
Wills converted two free throws and made a layup early in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 29-9. Arlington then answered with 17 consecutive points to end the quarter as Dodds scored seven and Sarah Solt added four.
The 35-point margin running clock rule in effect for the tournament was activated for the last nine minutes.
Devil junior Abbi Lotz drained a trifecta to cap a 20-0 spurt as the fourth period opened to provide a 49-9 bulge.
Bulldog freshman Kirsten Poling sank a putback, and classmate Megan Light canned a short runner to make it 49-13.
A Kylie Jolliff basket and two Lotz free throws closed out the game and the Ada season.
Willow led Arlington with 11 points, while Dodds added 10 and Pepple netted nine. Wills led Ada with five points and Waugh added four.
Arlington made 20 baskets, including four treys, and hit half of their 18 foul shots. Ada canned five baskets and converted three of 10 from the charity stripe.
"Season-wise, I am proud of the girls for always staying positive and never giving up," summed up Bass. "It didn't show wins-wise, but we've definitely improved, which was the main goal," she added.
The young Lady Bulldogs lost their last 18 games after beating Perry Dec. 8. Ada returns everyone on its roster as they had no junior or senior players.
Ada 13 (1-21)
Wills 1 3-6 5, Poling 1 0-2 2, Light 1 0-0 2, Waugh 2 0-0 4, George 0, Phillips 0 0-2 0, Blankenship 0, Jordan 0, Cortez 0.
Totals: 5/3-10/13. 3-pointers (0-1): none.
Arlington 53 (20-4)
Crawford 0, Dodds 4 1-2 10, Willow 4 2-2 11, Sheets 2 1-3 5, Pepple 4 1-1 9, Solt 2 2-2 7, Lotz 1 2-2 5, Bormuth 1 0-0 2, Essinger 1 0-4 2, Jolliff 1 0-2 2.
Totals: 20/9-18/53. 3-pointers (4-18): Willow 1, Dodds 1, Solt 1, Lotz 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 2 3 4 4 13
Arl 15 10 21 7 53
