PHOTOS Carson Conley (left) and Kayleb Hickman (right) score tie and winning points from the free throw line.
By Cort Reynolds
DOLA – Free throws don’t usually make TV highlight shows, but they often decide close games.
The visiting Ada High School boys basketball team nipped county rival Hardin Northern 44-41 by sinking three free throws in the final seconds Saturday night.
Bulldog sophomore Carson Conley broke a 41-41 tie by hitting the second of two foul shots with 2.5 seconds left.
Bulldog junior Kayleb Hickman then stole the ensuing Polar Bear in-bounds pass and was fouled. He canned both free throws to give Ada a three-point lead.
HN threw a long pass with less than a second left, but it was deflected and time expired before they could even get a potential tying three-point shot off.
The Bulldogs improved to 10-6 overall by securing the road win that snapped a three-game losing streak. HN fell to 5-9 after the non-league home defeat, their third straight loss.
“It was a good night for Bulldog basketball,” said Ada head coach Chris Sautter, as all three teams won. “We struggled with turnovers early and had to battle through first half foul trouble.
”But we hit free throws and got stops in the last minute to get the win,” he continued. “Six guys scored, and we were pretty balanced offensively.”
Ada led 20-19 at halftime after a low-scoring first half. The Bulldogs took control with an 18-11 third period to surge in front 38-30 heading to the fourth quarter.
HN rallied behind an 11-3 run to tie it 41-all before Ada sank the winning foul shots.
Junior Zack Zimmerman led Ada with 11 points for the second straight game. Sophomore Carson Conley tallied eight markers. Juniors Hickman and Gossman both scored seven.
Sophomore guard Kolton Dysert netted six, and junior Gavin Oldfield added five points.
HN’s Xander Wilson topped all scorers with 20 points. Nolan Hopson added 11 markers.
Ada connected on 12 two-point field goals, and the Bulldogs made three triples. Ada converted 11 of 15 free throws (73 percent).
The Bears canned 11 two-pointers and splashed three trifectas. HN sank 10 of 12 foul shots (83 percent).
The Bulldogs also won the JV game 37-13, and Ada captured the freshman contest as well.
Ada (4-2 BVC) plays at struggling league foe McComb (2-11, 0-5 BVC) Friday, January 24. The Panthers have lost five of their last six games, including a 37-34 defeat to Ft. Jennings Jan. 18. Ada lost 55-46 at FJ November 30.
The Bulldogs are now 8-2 on the road after the win at HN.
Liberty-Benton sits alone atop the Blanchard Valley Conference at 6-0. Pandora-Gilboa is 5-1 and Arlington is 4-1. Ada is tied with Van Buren at 4-2.
Ada 44 (10-6)
Oldfield 2-0-5, Dysert 2-2-6, Zimmerman 4-1-11, Green 0-0-0, Conley 2-4-8, Hickman 2-3-7, Gossman 3-1-7.
Totals: 12-3/11-15/44. 3-pointers: Zimmerman 2, Oldfield 1.
HN 41 (5-9)
Newton 1-0-2, Sutton 1-2-4, Hopson 4-2-11, Rostorfer 1-0-2, Wilson 6-6-20, Price 1-0-2.
Totals: 11-3/10-12/41. 3-pointers: Wilson 2, Hopson 1.
|
ADA HARDIN NORTHERN |
1 12 10 |
2 8 9 |
3 18 11 |
4 6 11 |
FINAL 44 41 |
JV: Ada 37, HN 13.
