By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Homestanding Ada burst open a close battle against backyard arch-rival Upper Scioto Valley with a 21-8 third period and went on to beat the Rams convincingly 55-34 in a non-league contest Tuesday evening.
The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Ram girls 35-19 after halftime to pull away from a tenuous 20-15 intermission lead.
Driving hard to the basket, Bulldog sophomore playmaker Courtney Sumner pumped in a game-high 22 points to pace the victors.
"We felt like the first three minutes of the second half were going to be the key," said Ada third-year head coach Morgan Bass. "We got the run we wanted right out of halftime."
Ada's fullcourt press bothered the Rams and hurried them into turnovers while disrupting their halfcourt offense.
The Lady Bulldog record improved to 4-11 with the decisive victory. Meanwhile, the Lady Rams dropped to 1-15 after the loss.
The Bulldogs scored on a right baseline 12-footer from freshman Olivia Burkhart to start the key third period run. Junior Kirsten Poling then stole the ball and converted a traditional three-point play to extend the lead to 10 just 31 seconds into the second half.
The purple and gold extended the lead to 18 by the end of the third stanza, and was never seriousy threatened again.
USV led 4-0 early on after two layups. The Rams converted a nice backdoor layup by senior Graesen Evans, then scored on an in-bounds pass to senior center Allison Moore right under the hoop.
Ada then rallied to take the lead for good at 7-6 after a three-point goal from Sumner. Bulldog senior Miranda Wills sank a layup, and Ram Brielle Cotterman nailed a left baseline 12-footer to keep the visitors within 9-8.
Sumner converted a traditional three-point play off a driving banker to give Ada a 12-9 edge after the first period.
Bulldog senior Alexis Waugh made a nice strip steal under the basket to open the second stanza. Sumner then drove the length of the floor for a layin, followed by a lane banker from Poling.
Evans canned two foul shots to keep USV within 16-11. Poling and senior post Megan Light each split two foul shots. Ram freshman Patiance Cole canned a layup to cut their deficit to 18-13.
Sophomore USV point guard Kennedy Hall then drove coast-to-coast for a layup to inch within three. Sumner stole the ball and converted a layin to put the hosts on top 20-15 at the halfway break.
"I thought we missed a lot of layups in the first half," said Bass. "We settled for outside shots a lot in the first half. We started driving a lot more in the second half."
Burkhart and Poling started Ada off strongly in the second half with the quick 5-0 spurt out of the gate. Hall then drained a right wing triple, but Poling made another steal and layup to provide a 27-18 margin.
Hall responded by drilling an 18-foot right baseline shot with 4:50 to go in the third. Sumner split two foul shots and Wills banked in a nine-footer high off glass.
Sumner swished a right corner trifetca to put Ada ahead 33-20. Wills then sank a driving shot off glass with three minutes to go. Light canned a follow-up shot at the 1:45 juncture to cap the deciding 10-0 flurry.
Cole banked in a 13-foot shot and made a free throw for the Rams. Wills knocked down an eight-footer, and Sumner added another basket off the backboard to extend Ada's lead to 41-23 after three quarters.
Sumner made it a 20-point cushion by sinking another bank shot to open the fourth quarter. Cole sank two of four foul shots, and Cotterman drilled a trifecta.
Wills and Sumner each converted a pair of free throws. Moore sank a layup off a nice feed from Evans. But Burkhart drained a left wing trifecta to rebuild the margin to 20 with 3:36 remaining.
Sumner added two more free throws. Ram senior Jazmynn Ross knocked down an 18-footer from the circle, then added a foul shot to close the USV scoring.
Ada freshman post Daicy Robinson finished a layup and made a free toss in the final 94 seconds to complete the 21-point Bulldog win.
"It was a win, and we will take it," Bass noted. "I thought our defensive effort was much better in the second half."
Wills tallied a dozen points for the hosts to support Sumner. Poling scored 10 points and made several steals. Burkhart contributed five markers and good pressure defense.
The Lady Bulldogs connected on 18 field goals overall, seven more than USV. Ada sank 15 two-pointers and drained three shots from beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs converted 16 of 21 foul shots (76 percent).
The Ram girls canned nine two-point goals and drilled two three-pointers for 11 total baskets. The visitors converted 10 of 14 free throw attempts (71 percent).
Hall led USV with eight points. Cole netted seven, while Cotterman and Evans added six markers apiece.
There was no JV contest. The game was the opener in a girls/boys, varsity-only doubleheader for Ada vs. USV and North Baltimore.
Ada improved to 2-5 at home this season with the win.
Ada 55 (4-11)
Sumner 7 6-7 22, Poling 3 4-5 10, Burkhart 2 0-1 5, Light 1 1-2 3, Waugh 0, Wills 4 4-4 12, Acheson 0, Robinson 1 1-2 3, King 0.
Totals: 15-3/16-21/55. 3-pointers: Sumner 2, Burkhart 1.
USV 34 (1-15)
Hall 3 1-3 8, Lawrence 0, Cole 2 3-6 7, Cotterman 2 1-2 6, Hurley 0, Ross 1 1-2 3, Lowery 0, Moore 2 0-0 4, Evans 1 4-6 6.
Totals: 9-2/10-14/34. 3-pointers: Hall 1, Cotterman 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 12 8 21 14 55
USV 9 6 8 11 34
JV: No game.
The Bulldogs (1-4 NWC, 2-6 road) make the long trip to face tough league foe Paulding (13-5, 4-2 NWC) Thursday evening, Jan. 28.
"Paulding is good," said Bass. "They are athletic and quick with good guards."
