By Cort Reynolds
The visiting Ada High School boys basketball team lost a 53-52 heartbreaker at Lincolnview Friday night, February 17, in the finale to the Northwest Conference season.
The Bulldogs were in front the entire game until the final seconds to fall in gut-wrenching fashion.
Ada led by 13 points heading to the final period. The Bulldogs were still ahead by four points with 20 seconds left. Lancer junior Cal Evans hit a three-pointer to inch the hosts with 52-51.
The Bulldogs then lost possession on a five-second call. Lincolnview took the lead on a lob basket by junior forward Austin Bockrath with 12 seconds remaining.
Ada then turned the ball over again before they could get off a potential winning shot at the end.
The Bulldogs fell to 8-13 overall and finished 0-8 in the NWC after the difficult defeat.
The Lancers improved to 2-20 and 1-7 in the NWC with the win. The hosts snapped a 15-game losing streak with the improbable comeback win.
Spencerville won the league title at 8-0, followed by Crestview (7-1) and Bluffton (6-2).
"It was a brutal loss," said second-year Bulldog head coach Vince Halliday.
Ada raced to a 19-8 lead after the first quarter. The Bulldogs maintained a 25-16 edge at halftime.
Ada extended its lead to 44-31 after a 19-15 third period. But the Lancers outscored the Bulldogs 22-8 in the final stanza to win by one.
Bulldog senior guard Spencer Wall led all players with 18 points. Senior Carter Conley contributed 13 points.
Ada senior Casen Jones canned two triples for six points. Classmate Ethan Murphy added five markers.
Bockrath led the Lancers with 16 points. Evans tallied 10 markers.
Junior center Jared Jessee netted eight points, and senior Kohen Cox added seven.
“We couldn’t get stops the whole second half,” said Halliday. “We stopped scoring in the fourth and didn’t finish.”
Ada canned 15 two-pointers and six triples for 21 total baskets. The Bulldogs made four of seven tries from the charity stripe (57 percent).
Lincolnview also sank 15 deuces and six treys. The Lancers converted five of 10 at the charity stripe (50 percent).
Lincolnview also won the reserve game, 53-46.
Ada 52 (8-13, 0-8 NWC)
Bankston 2 0-0 4, Wall 8 0-1 18, Sutherly 1 0-0 2, Conley 4 4-5 13, Leal 2 0-1 4, Murphy 2 0-0 5, Preston 0 0-0 0, Jones 2 0-0 6.
Totals: 15-6/4-7/52. 3-pointers: Jones 2, Wall 2, Murphy 1, Conley 1.
L'view (2-20, 1-7 NWC)
Tow 2 0-0 5, Evans 4 0-0 10, Bockrath 7 1-2 16, Overholt 2 0-0 4, Cox 2 1-2 7, Jessee 4 0-0 8, Kill 0 0-0 0, Friedrich 0 1-4 1, Price 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 15-6/5-10/53. 3-pointers: Evans 2, Cox 2, Tow 1, Bockrath 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 19 6 19 8 52
Lvw 8 8 15 22 53
JV: L’view 53, Ada 46.
The Bulldogs host Vanlue (9-12) in the home and regular season finale Saturday, Feb. 18, with a 1 p.m. JV tip-off. Nine Ada seniors will suit up for their last home game.
