Above) The Ada varsity girls basketball team, from left, front: Kenley Poling, Lexi Poling, Emily Gibson. Middle: Grace Lawrence, Ashley Hevlin, Abbey Anderson, assistant coach Meagan Zoladz. Back: assistant coach Kyle Poling, Mariah Burns, Anna Conley, Brooklynn Andreasen, head coach Zach Ricker.
Below) Ada girls basketball returning lettermen, from left, front: Kenley Poling, Anna Conley, Lexi Poling.
Season opener is Nov. 26; Home opener is Dec. 3
By Cort Reynolds
ADA – The Ada High School girls basketball program is in rebuild mode as the Bulldogs enter the Blanchard Valley Conference for the 2024-25 season.
Four full or part-time starters graduated last season, including point guard and leading scorer Olivia Burkhart, who was named honorable mention all-league.
Three letter winners and two starters return from an Ada squad that finished 9-13 overall and 0-8 in the Northwest Conference last season.
Nine players comprise the high school roster, so there will be no junior varsity squad this winter.
“We will be a score and handle-the-ball-by-committee type of team,” said Ada third-year head coach Zach Ricker.
Guards Lexi Poling and Kenley Poling are back to give Ada an experienced backcourt. Senior Lexi is a streak-shooter from three-point land.
“We will rely on Lexi to knock down shots,” said Ricker. “She has good leadership skills, and we need that with our youth. She will handle the ball some.
“This is her third year with me, and it helps having a senior who can communicate what I want to the team,” he added.
Sophomore sister Kenley Poling moves into the starting lineup and will be asked to handle the point guard duties. “She will be our primary ballhandler, our point guard,” said Ricker. “Kenley can shoot, she is quick and athletic. She needs to build confidence.
“Kenley is a good defender, she will guard the other team’s better guard ballhandlers,” he added.
Junior center Anna Conley returns as a starter in the low post, and will hold the key to much of the team’s fortunes. The 6-0 post has a good shooting touch, and can rebound and block shots.
“Anna is a huge part of what we want to do,” agreed Ricker. “We expect her to step up and consistently play aggressively. She has the ability to do a lot, and we are putting a lot more responsibility on her.
“We need her to score more,” he added.
Freshman guard Emily Gibson will likely start after enjoying a solid soccer season. “She will handle the ball some,” said Ricker. “Emily is athletic and aggressive. She will guard some of the better offensive players we face.
“She is young but has shown growth, and we have high expectations for her,” he noted.
Sophomore Brooklyn Andreasen is back after seeing very limited varsity action last year. The 5-9 post “will be a big part of what we do,” said Ricker. “She has size and is improved. She can knock down the 12 to 15- footers, and can score down low.
“Mid-range shooting is her best asset,” Ricker continued. “She is in the mix to be a starter.”
Junior forward Ashley Hevlin also returns after playing mostly JV last season. “She will give us minutes off the bench in our rotation,” said the coach. “She can knock down the 10 to 12-foot shot. She is a hard worker and always gives good effort.”
Sophomore Grace Lawrence is a newcomer to the program. A 5-4 guard, she “has some athleticism,” noted Ricker. “She has a learning curve.”
Mariah Burns, a 5-8 freshman forward, will be in the rotation. “She has a lot of potential and is athletic for her size,” said Ricker. “We have high expectations for her as she gets playing time. She can contribute quickly for us.”
Freshman Abbey Anderson, a 5-6 forward, rounds out the nine-player roster. “She does what is asked of her,” said Ricker. “She is a great kid who contributes at practice.”
Sophomore guard Jaylin St. Laurent is on the roster, but is expected to miss the entire season after undergoing knee surgery following volleyball season.
Defensive ace Mariah King, hustling post player Katie Sizemore and solid Autumn Andreasen started and/or played major minutes the last few years, but the trio graduated, along with Burkhart.
Ricker was unsure of what to expect as a new member of the BVC. “Arcadia, Riverdale, Liberty-Benton, McComb all should be good,” he offered. “We scrimmaged a lot of the BVC teams.”
L-B won the BVC at 8-0 last season, while Arcadia and McComb tied for second at 6-2. Arlington, Pandora-Gilboa and Van Buren finished in a three-way tie for fourth at 4-4. Riverdale ended up 3-5, followed by Elmwood (1-7) and Vanlue (0-8).
The Ada mentor feels that the schedule should be a little lighter this season with the move from the Northwest Conference. Leipsic also jumped back to the BVC from the NWC, along with Ada.
Regarding season goals, Ricker was cautious. “The biggest thing is, we are starting a rebuild,” he noted. “We are very young. We just want to get better each day.
“We have a coachable group that can get better as the year goes on,” he continued. “We want to focus on the positives. We expect to show up and compete. We want to give ourselves a chance to compete.”
Ricker noted that team size and post play are likely strengths. “We have some ability down low in the post with our size,” he said. “The team is also very coachable, another strength.”
Kyle Poling and Meagan Zoladz return as assistant coaches.
Ada tips off its season Friday, November 22 at traditional backyard arch-rival Upper Scioto Valley.
The inaugural BVC lidlifter is Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Leipsic.
The home opener is December 3 vs. county rival Hardin Northern. The first home league game is Dec. 5 vs. Vanlue.
