The visiting Ada boys basketball team was outscored big in the middle periods and lost 75-37 at Bluffton in a Northwest Conference contest Friday night, December 17.
Ada trailed just 18-17 after a high-scoring opening period, but the Pirates broke the game open with a 28-point second quarter barrage. Trenton Donley poured in nine of his game-high 21 points in the second stanza. Bluffton won the middle quarters, 48-12.
The Bulldogs dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with their third straight loss. Bluffton improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in NWC play with the victory.
"It was not at all what I expected," said first-year Ada head coach Vince Halliday. "We had a slow start that we never recovered from.
"We have to be better with the ball on offense," he continued. "Defensively, we need to be better at keeping the ball in front of us."
Bulldog senior Cayden Murphy led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Ada junior Carter Conley added eight markers with two triples. Ethan Murphy scored six points, all from the foul line without a miss.
Nate Schaadt tallied 11 points for balanced Bluffton. Kaden Lora tallied 10 markers, while Kyler Kinn and Carson Soper each added nine. Marek Donaldson chipped in with seven points with two treys.
Donley also netted nine points in the third quarter, which Bluffton won 20-4 to build a commanding 36-point lead.
Ada canned 12 baskets, hitting 10 two-pointers and two triples. The Bulldogs converted 11 of 14 charity stripe attempts (79 percent).
Bluffton drilled 29 baskets, connecting on 23 two-pointers and six treys. They hit 11 of 19 free throw attempts (58 percent).
Ada 37 (2-4, 0-2 NWC)
C. Murphy 7 5-6 19, Conley 3 0-0 8, Sutherly 0, Leal 1 0-0 2, Wall 1 0-0 2, Preston 0, E. Murphy 0 6-6 6, Hoffer 0 0-2 0.
Totals: 10-2/11-14/37. 3-pointers: Conley 2.
Bluffton 75 (4-1, 2-0 NWC)
Donley 9 1-1 21, Shutler 0 1-2 1, Soper 4 1-2 9, Kinn 4 1-3 9, Boblitt 1 0-0 3, Schaadt 5 0-1 11, Ackerman 1 0-0 2, Donaldson 2 1-2 7, Lora 3 4-6 10, Lovell 0 2-2 2.
Totals: 23-6/11-19/75. 3-pointers: Donley 2, Donaldson 2, Boblitt 1, Schaadt 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 17 8 4 8 37
Blu 18 28 20 9 75
Ada visits non-league foe Cory-Rawson (2-6) Saturday, Dec. 18. The Hornets knocked off Arcadia 43-33 Friday night.
"We will make keeping the ball in front of us on defense a focus vs. Cory," said Halliday.
