Bulldogs on the road at New Knoxville, Friday, December 23
By Cort Reynolds
The host Ada boys basketball team ran off 19 unanswered points in the first half, then held off spunky local rival Cory-Rawson to win 44-34 in a non-conference bout Saturday night.
The Bulldogs built a 20-point lead late in the second quarter, but had to stave off a late charge by the pressing Hornets to end a three-game losing skid.
Ada improved to 4-3 after the win, while Cory fell to 4-4 with the defeat.
"I thought our defensive effort was certainly better in the first half," said second-year Ada head coach Vince Halliday. "We shot a little better, which opened up some driving lanes."
Ada trailed 2-0 after a layup on the first possession by Michael Bixler. The Bulldogs tied it on a Spencer Wall bank shot, then took the lead on a 12-footer by Carter Conley that bounced in at the 5:33 mark.
C-R guard Eric Davis tied it on a 14-footer but Ada regained the lead for good on another Wall banker at the 4:30 mark.
Two Conley foul shots were answered by Preston Stumpp's power layin at the two-minute mark. It would be the last Hornet basket for almost 10 minutes.
Bulldog senior Jayden Bankston sank a baseline driving layup to give the hosts a 10-7 lead at the end of the first period.
Ada then reeled off the first 17 points of the second quarter to seize control with a 20-point bulge.
In a rare play, Wall threw a pass from the corner that was deflected by a Hornet player right into the basket almost two minutes into the second stanza.
Conley canned a leaning bank shot and two foul shots in the run. Ethan Murphy then splashed a left wing trey, two free throws and another triple to build the lead to 25-7 54 seconds before intermission.
Conley drained two more foul shots to cap the 19-0 run. Davis knocked down a left side trifecta just before the buzzer for the only Hornet points of the period to cut the deficit to 27-10.
"We knew they would make a run in the second half," said Halliday.
Hornet Wilson Garmatter canned a three to open the second half.
Ada senior Jaden Leal swished a short floater to make it 29-13. Davis banked in a pull-up 14-footer at the 6:30 mark. A Garmatter basket cut the Ada lead to 12.
Murphy canned a bank shot to put the hosts ahead, 31-17. Ada senior Casen Jones rattled in an 11-foot right baseline pull-up shot, followed by a Bixler basket.
Wall canned a runner, followed by a Bixler lane bank shot. C-R guard Blake Boehm was fouled shooting a trey just before the third period horn, but missed two of the three free throws.
Ada thus led by 14 (36-22) heading to the final stanza. "I felt pretty good going into the fourth quarter," said Halliday.
Bixler canned two foul shots. Bankston split two foul shots, but Bixler scored inside off the glass.
Hornet Brandon Stuckey bounced in a 13-footer, followed by a Bixler basket. Ada called timeout after their lead dwindled to 37-30 at the 3:47 mark.
Bixler split a pair at the line to inch within six at the 2:56 juncture.
Conley and Leal each converted one charity striper for a 39-31 advantage. Bankston made a layup off a nice Conley lane feed to put Ada back up by 10 with 1:33 remaining.
"I felt like that play was our best sequence, and that basket was the icing," said Halliday.
Yet Hornet Carson Reese split two free throws, and Stuckey put the back end miss up and in to pull Cory within 41-34 with 41.2 seconds left to play.
Wall split two free throws to give Ada a 42-34 lead. Two straight Hornet turnovers ended any chance for a late comeback. Conley splashed two free throws with 18.6 ticks left to provide the final margin.
Conley led three Bulldogs in double figures with 13 points. Wall tallied 11 markers, and Murphy contributed 10.
Both teams canned 11 two-point goals and a pair of treys.
Ada converted just 16 of 33 shots from the charity stripe (48 percent). "We obviously have to shoot free throws better," noted Halliday. The Bulldogs missed 11 of their 17 foul shots in the final stanza to help keep C-R in the game.
Bixler was the lone Hornet in double figures with 14 points.
The cold Hornets also converted just six of 13 attempts at the foul line (46 percent).
Ada won the junior varsity contest 35-27 to up the reserve record to 2-5. Zack Zimmerman scored 13 points, and Ian House added 10.
Ada 44 (4-3)
Bankston 2 1-6 5, Wall 4 3-7 11, Sutherly 0 0-2 0, Conley 2 9-12 13, Leal 1 1-2 3, Murphy 3 2-2 10, Jones 1 0-0 2, Preston 0 0-2 0. Totals: 11-2/16-33/44. 3-pointers: Murphy 2.
C-R 34 (4-4)
Reese 0 1-2 1, Stumpp 1 0-0 2, Davis 3 0-0 7, Garmatter 2 0-0 5, Boehm 0 1-3 1, Stuckey 2 0-0 4, Bixler 5 4-8 14.
Totals: 11-2/6-13/34. 3-pointers: Davis 1, Garmatter 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 10 17 9 8 44
C-R 7 3 12 12 34
JV: Ada 35, C-R 27.
The Bulldogs (2-2 road) visit struggling non-league foe New Knoxville (1-7) Friday, December 23. NK lost at Temple Christian 66-48 Saturday night.
