By Cort Reynolds
ADA__The Ada high School boys basketball team played its Northwest Conference opener Friday at home vs. an older, more physical Columbus Grove squad and lost 53-31.
CG ran out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed. Ada hung within 14 points by halftime, then started the third period on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 24-18. Grove ended the stanza on a 14-6 spurt and cruised to victory in the fourth quarter.
The young Bulldogs fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the NWC after the defeat.
Grove is 1-0 overall and in the NWC after the win in their delayed season opener after a lengthy state semifinal football run.
“Generally speaking, our defensive effort was much better than the last few games,” said Bulldog third-year head coach Vince Halliday. “Grove is a stronger team and we have to be more physical boxing out. We did not rebound particularly well.
“Offensively, we just have to find ways to score,” he noted. “We were a little too passive against their zone and press.”
A putback and a right wing triple by Bo Birnesser early on helped propel CG to a 10-0 lead. Ada sophomore Kayleb Hickman sank a left baseline 14-footer at the 3:20 mark to get the hosts on the board.
Another Birnesser trey stretched the lead to 13-2. But Hickman made a nice feed to Levi Green for a layin just before the buzzer to inch Ada within 13-5 after the first period.
Ada committed two 10-second violations and one five-second error in the first half against the CG full court zone press.
“We needed to be more aggressive against the press in the first half,” said Halliday. “We did a better job attacking it in the second half. But I would rather have those turnovers than live-ball ones that lead to layups.”
A power layup by Bulldog sophomore post Slade Gossman made it 17-7 midway through the second stanza.
A free throw by Carson Conley, and an Ian House layup off a good Carson Gossard dish pulled Ada within 19-10 at the 1:55 mark.
CG’s Zach Reynolds then swished a step-back triple from the corner, and sophomore Landon Best canned a 17-footer to put Grove on top 24-10 at halftime.
Birnesser tallied 11 points in the first half.
The purple and gold ran off the first eight points of the third stanza to get back in contention.
Bulldog freshman Kolton Dysert swished a floater, followed by a Conley foul shot. Ada sophomore wing Zack Zimmerman sank a lane runner at the six-minute mark to inch within 24-15.
Fifty seconds later, Conley splashed a triple from the top of the key to get Ada within 24-18.
But then CG answered with a 9-2 spurt. Best nailed a left wing trey and Reynolds sank a baseline power layup.
Hickman knocked down a bank shot to make it 29-20 at the 3:14 juncture. But Trenton Barraza hit a floater, and Reynolds made a driving layup.
Conley answered with a driving bank shot to his right with 1:35 left in the period.
Three Grove foul shots and a Barraza layup, sandwiched around a House layin, gave CG a 38-24 cushion heading to the fourth quarter.
Another Barraza layin and a left corner triple by Kyle Hopkins to open the final period gave Grove a 43-24 margin. Two inside baskets by Conley cut the lead to 17.
Three foul shots and a traditional three-point play by Best built the margin to 51-28. Two Gabe Blankenship foul shots made the final margin 22.
“It was a more positive effort than the McComb game,” summed up Halliday.
Conley was the lone Adaite in double figures with 11 points.
Birnesser and Best led CG with 14 points apiece. Reynolds netted 11 markers and Barraza added eight.
Ada converted six of 12 shots at the charity stripe (50 percent). The purple and gold Bulldogs canned 11 two-point goals and one triple.
CG sank 15 two-pointers and hit five treys. The visiting Bulldogs converted eight of 11 from the free throw line (73 percent).
Ada lost the JV game by an almost identical score of 52-31 to fall to 3-1. T.J. Griffith led Ada with 16 points, and Andrew Allen added eight.
CG also won the freshman game, 38-28.
Ada 31 (0-4, 0-1 NWC)
Zimmerman 1 0-0 2, Hickman 2 0-0 4, Conley 4 2-6 11, Dysert 1 0-0 2, Green 1 0-0 2, Blankenship 0 2-2 2, Gossard 0 2-4 2, House 2 0-0 4, Gossman 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 11-1/6-12/31. 3-pointers: Conley 1.
CG 53 (1-0, 1-0 NWC)
Birnesser 4 4-4 14, Z. Reynolds 5 0-1 11, Barraza 4 0-0 8, Best 5 3-4 14, Basinger 1 0-0 2, Hopkins 1 1-2 4.
Totals: 15-5/8-11/53. 3-pointers: Birnesses 2, Reynolds 1, Best 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 5 5 14 7 31
CG 13 11 14 15 53
JV: Grove 52, Ada 31.
Ada (0-3 home) hosts Perry (2-2) Saturday evening, December 16. The Commodores beat Temple Christian 44-36 to capture their NWCC opener Friday night.
“Perry has a new coach and some new players,” said Halliday.
