By Cort Reynolds
Playing at home, the Ada High School girls basketball team reeled off a 17-0 second half run to break open a close game and defeat North Baltimore 45-33 in non-conference action Saturday night, January 28.
Ada improved to 10-9 with their fourth win in five games. Meanwhile, NB dropped to 2-17 after the defeat.
"At halftime we told the girls we needed to do it on the defensive end to get steals and easy buckets," said Bulldog head coach Zach Ricker. "And the girls did that in the second half."
Ada guard Lexi Poling drained a triple to open the game, but NB went ahead 5-3 on a three-pointer by Kaylee Allison.
A free throw and a flying reverse layin by Bulldog senior standout Courtney Sumner put Ada ahead, 6-5.
Sumner then buried a left corner trey to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead after the opening stanza.
NB regained the lead 11-10 before Katie Sizemore drilled a 14-footer. Two Sumner foul shots made it 14-11 Ada at the 3:29 mark.
Cadence Andrich and Allison hit consecutive triples to give NB a 17-14 edge. A Lydia Feehan half hook extended their lead to five.
But then Olivia Burkhart took over. The junior hit a trifecta to cut the deficit to two. Then on the last play of the half, she sped upcourt and drained a trey at the buzzer to give Ada a 20-19 halftime lead and bring a roar from the crowd.
"That shot was big for us and it may have deflated them after they had a good first half," said Ricker. "That got the girls going and it got the crowd in the game."
The Tigers took their last lead 21-20 to open half two on a 19-footer by Aubrey Cotterman. But then Autumn Andreasen sank a layup to ignite the Ada run that changed the momentum.
Andreasen next canned a fast break layup off a nice Burkhart dish. Poling executed a quick left baseline drive for a layup and a 26-21 lead.
Sumner then pulled up in transition and sank a right wing triple to stretch the lead to eight. Next Burkhart dribbled right, pulled up and nailed a 17-footer with 1:45 left in the period.
Sizemore capped the run by sinking a fast break layin off a fine Poling pass. When the smoke cleared, Ada led 33-21 after 13 unanswered points.
"Our defense pressuring the ball changed the momentum," said Ricker.
Sumner sank a breakaway layup to open the fourth period. She then fed Sizemore for a short baseline shot at the 6:22 mark.
Cotterman sank two foul shots to end the 17-0 flurry. Mariah King canned a fast break layup. Sumner then made a clean steal and canned another breakaway layin.
Sumner stole yet another pass and converted it into a layup. Feehan completed a three-point play inside. Two free throws edged NB within 43-30.
King scored a short banker off a pass from Sumner at the two-minute mark.
Cotterman split two foul shots to close the scoring.
"I feel like we moved the ball better in the second half and attacked their triangle and two defense," Ricker noted.
Sumner topped all players with 17 points. Burkhart netted nine big points.
Feehan led NB with 13 points.
Ada canned 13 deuces and five triples for their 18 baskets. The Bulldog girls converted four of eight free throws (50 percent).
NB made nine two-point field goals and hit two triples. The Tigers converted six of seven foul shots (85 percent).
NB 33 (2-17)
Cotterman 1 3-4 5, Allison 2 0-0 6, Ducat 0 2-2 2, Feehan 6 1-1 13, Paynter 1 0-0 2, Andrich 2 0-0 5.
Totals: 9-2/6-7/33. 3-pointers: Allison 2, Andrich 1.
Ada 45 (10-9)
King 2 0-0 4, Sumner 6 3-4 17, Burkhart 3 1-2 9, Poling 2 0-0 5, Andreasen 2 0-2 4, Sizemore 3 0-0 6, Conley 0 0-0 0.
Totals: 13-5/4-8/45. 3-pointers: Burkhart 2, Sumner 2, Poling 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 10 10 13 12 45
NB 7 12 2 12 33
Ada (0-6 NWC) visits league unbeaten Leipsic (16-1, 6-0 NWC) Thursday, February 2.
Drawing for the 11-team Shawnee/Spencerville Div. IV sectional feeding into the Wapakoneta district will be held Sunday. Ada is likely to be seeded fifth or sixth.
