By Cort Reynolds
Playing at home, the Ada High School girls basketball team got a scare from Upper Scioto Valley before pulling away late to win their annual tussle 49-34 Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs finished the tense, physical contest on a 10-1 run to keep the upset-minded Rams at bay. Ada also put together a key 11-0 spurt to end the first half after feisty USV had inched within 17-16.
Ada improved to 9-8 and climbed over .500 for the first time this season with their third consecutive win. Meanwhile, USV fell to 3-15 with the defeat.
"It definitely wasn't the prettiest game," said Ada head coach Zach Ricker. "It was big to get over .500 and pass last year's win total," he added.
Ram junior point guard Nevaeh Lowery canned two foul shots to open the game.
Ada junior Olivia Burkhart made a drive, a pull-up shot and soared for a putback layin early on. Katie Sizemore sank a layup, while Courtney Sumner made a breakaway layin.
Senior Sumner then swished a triple from the top of the key to cap an 11-0 spurt.
USV called timeout to regroup and ended the quarter on a 10-2 flurry of its own. Shay Lawrence canned a layup from Lowery, and Amelia Hurley sank a foul shot and a layup to start the spurt.
Brielle Cotterman then scored five straight points. She made a layin off an in-bounds pass, then bounced in a 16-footer from just beyond the foul line.
Ada clung to a 13-12 lead after the first stanza.
Sumner made a left-handed layup to open the second period scoring.
Ram freshman Ivie Gonzalez sank a 15-footer. Bulldog freshman Anna Conley canned a layup, but Cotterman answered with a nice backdoor cut layin.
Lexi Poling then nailed a pull-up shot to ignite an 11-0 Bulldog closing spurt.
Next, she took a kickout pass from Conley and swished a left wing triple with 2:36 left in the half. Conley followed by bouncing in a six-footer off the left baseline.
Sumner sliced through the Ram defense for a southpaw layin. On the last play of the half, she rifled a pass to a cutting Sizemore for a layup with three seconds to go, giving Ada a 28-16 intermission cushion.
USV came out with renewed intensity in the third period, hitting the offensive boards hard.
Lowery banked in a drive a minute into the second half, then USV made two of six foul shots. Cotterman swished a right baseline shot from nine feet, prompting an Ada timeout at the 5:02 mark with their halftime lead cut in half to six.
Lowery knocked down a right baseline runner to advance the Ram run to 8-0. Burkhart stopped the flurry by making a basket with 3:30 to go in the period, giving Ada a 30-24 lead.
Gonzalez swished a 10-foot lane shot at 1:22 to cut the Bulldog lead to four.
Sumner drew a charge with pressure defense at the 13.2-second mark. Upper stole the ball and Cotterman made a nice transition pass, but the short shot missed just before the buzzer with Ada still on top 30-26.
"Rebounding has been a problem, and USV hurt us on the offensive boards in the third period," Ricker said.
Hustling USV got back in the game with a 10-2 third period.
Ram Sydney Christensen grabbed a loose ball near the hoop and laid it in to start the fourth quarter. Sumner drew another charge on Lowery. Christensen split two foul shots, but Burkhart drove coast to coast and banked in a tough runner.
Cotterman made her second layup off an inbounds pass to cut it to 32-31 with 6:16 remaining. Sumner drove the left side for a basket to restore a three-point lead.
Sizemore split two foul shots. Burkhart made a nice steal and cruised in for a crucial layup at the 5:33 juncture. Sumner splashed two free tosses at the 3:57 mark.
Ram freshman Sophia Hurley banked in a third effort putback with 2:55 to go. But that would be their last basket. Sumner sank a driving layin at the 2:20 mark to put Ada back in front by eight, 41-33.
Cotterman sank one free toss, and Sumner was fouled as she drove the lane. She converted both shots for a 43-34 cushion.
Ada ran a semi-delay game and Sumner cleverly batted a loose ball pass to Sizemore, who swished a right side seven-footer with just under a minute left. Burkhart hit two of four charity stripers to put the purple and gold comfortably ahead, 47-34.
Sumner led all players with 19 points, while Burkhart canned 14.
"Courtney and Liv made some big shots," Ricker agreed.
Sizemore added seven big markers.
"Katie has been playing well lately," said Ricker. "She works hard and guards the bigs, and does the dirty work."
Poling added five key points in a row late in the first half, while Conley added four points and a blocked shot off the bench.
Cotterman topped USV with 12 points, and Lowery netted six with a solid floor game. Amelia Hurley, Christensen and Gonzalez added four markers apiece.
Ada canned two triples among their 19 baskets. The Bulldog girls hit on nine of 14 free throws (64 percent).
USV made 17 two-point field goals and sank just eight of 20 foul shots (40 percent).
Ada is 2-0 vs. rival USV this season, having also beaten the Rams 55-30 at the Border Battle third-place game December 30.
USV 34 (3-15)
Hall 0, A. Hurley 1 2-7 4, Lawrence 1 0-0 2, Christensen 1 2-6 4, Cotterman 5 2-4 12, Gonzalez 2 0-0 4, Lowery 2 2-3 6, S. Hurley 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 13-0/8-20/34. 3-pointers: none.
Ada 49 (9-8)
King 0 0-0 0, Sumner 6 6-6 19, Burkhart 6 24 14, Poling 2 0-0 5, Sizemore 3 1-2 7, Conley 2 0-2 4.
Totals: 17-2/9-14/49. 3-pointers: Sumner 1, Poling 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 13 15 2 19 49
USV 12 4 10 8 34
No JV game.
Ada (0-5 NWC) resumes Northwest Conference play Thursday, January 26 at home vs. third-place Crestview (12-4, 4-2 NWC).
The Bulldogs then host non-league foe North Baltimore (2-16) Saturday at 6 p.m. in the opener of a girls/boys varsity-only doubleheader.
Drawing for the 11-team Shawnee/Spencerville sectional feeding into the Wapakoneta district will be held this Sunday. Ada is currently seeded fifth, with USV hovering around the nine or ten spot.
Marion Local (15-2) and Minster are expected to hold down the top two seeds.
