By Cort Reynolds
ADA – The Ada High School boys basketball team rode a pressure defense and big middle quarters to a 50-25 rout win over non-conference foe North Baltimore on February 11.
After a slow start, the Bulldogs pressed their way to a momentum-changing 15-4 second quarter. They then started the third period strong to build a commanding 32-9 lead and cruised to victory.
The Bulldogs improved to 14-7 overall with the lopsided win. The game was postponed from Saturday due to icy roads.
Youthful NB fell to 6-15 after the defeat.
“It was nice to get a win for the seniors on their night,” said Ada head coach Chris Sautter. “They have been through a lot the last three years. We got great minutes out of everyone.”
Neither team scored for the first 4:19 until NB’s Brody Walter made a pull-up bank shot with 3:19 left in the opening stanza. Two free throws gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
Sophomore Carson Conley stole the ball and drove coast-to-coast for a layup to get Ada on the scoreboard at the 2:04 mark. Two Zack Zimmerman foul shots tied it at the 1:44 mark, and it stayed that way into the second period.
Ada then started pressing on defense and forced several NB turnovers to change the course of the contest. Kayleb Hickman stole the ball and drove for a layin to put the hosts ahead 16 seconds into the stanza.
A driving three-point play by Zander Ferdinandsen gave the visitors a 7-6 edge. Bulldog sophomore Kolton Dysert split two foul shots to tie it. Gavin Oldfield scored off a steal to make it 9-7.
Hickman nailed a triple to extend the lead to five at the 4:50 mark. He then sank a pretty fast break layin. Conley grabbed a defensive rebound, rumbled upcourt and made a reverse layup to put Ada ahead 17-7.
Junior Slade Gossman spun inside and made a nice layup to cap a 13-0 run to end the half with the Bulldogs in front, 19-7.
“The run to end the first half was big,” said Sautter. “We threw a lot of different stuff at them. We played some zone, some three-quarter press. It was good to work on that stuff we might use going forward.”
Oldfield opened the second half by sinking two charity stripers off a nice Conley pass. “That pass was a dime,” said Sautter.
Zimmerman splashed a trifecta to make it 24-7 and prompt a Tiger timeout with 6:59 left in the third period.
Hickman canned a breakaway layup at the 6:08 juncture to stretch the run to 19 unanswered points. Ferdinandsen stopped the long spurt with a pair of foul shots at the 5:03 mark.
Hickman scored again to make it 28-9. Dysert stole the ball and made a layin for a 21-point edge halfway through the third period. Another turnover resulted in a Dysert transition layup with 3:38 left in the period.
Isaiah Hyden made a putback layin to net the first NB basket in over 13 minutes. Tiger forward Jack Clark spun baseline for a layup. Ferdinandsen canned a basket to pull the Tigers within 32-15 after three periods of play.
Ferdinandsen converted a backdoor layup to open the fourth quarter. A lane scoop shot off glass by Ada senior post Ethan Lawrence ended the 8-0 NB run with 6:40 remaining.
Ferdinandsen scored again to edge within 15 at the six-minute mark. Hickman split two charity stripers, but Oldfield grabbed the miss and scored inside. Zimmerman scored in transition off a steal and a good Oldfield bounce pass.
Clark made a short banker to make it 41-21 with 3:25 to go. Zimmerman canned a hanging banker off a fast break, then scored another transition layup to increase the lead to 24 at the 1:45 mark.
Ferdinandsen sank a 14-foot pull-up shot, followed by a Hickman basket. Cooper Clark hit a fadeaway bank shot.
Ada senior Brody Erickson splashed a left wing triple for the final points.
Bulldog seniors Levi Green, Erickson and Lawrence started on Senior Night.
Hickman scored 14 points and Zimmerman added 11.
Ferdinandsen led NB with 15 points.
“We have only given up 23 points per game the last two games,” Sautter noted. “We will need the same kind of effort Saturday vs. Temple Christian.”
Ada canned 17 two-point field goals, and the Bulldogs drilled three triples. Ada converted seven of 11 free throw attempts (63 percent).
NB connected on 10 two-pointers but made no trifectas. The Tigers sank five of eight foul shots (63 percent).
Ada improved to 4-5 at home with the decisive victory.
Ada also won the JV game, 49-11. The Bulldog reserves improved to 16-5 with the victory. Connor McKean and Tyler Stauffer scored 10 points apiece. T.J. Griffith and Andrew Allen each added seven points.
Ada hosts Temple Christian (12-8) in the regular season finale Saturday.
Ada 50 (14-7)
Oldfield 2 2-2 6, Dysert 2 1-3 5, Zimmerman 4 2-2 11, Green 0 0-0 0, Conley 3 0-0 6, Hickman 6 1-2 14, Gossman 1 1-2 3, Lawrence 1 0-0 2, Erickson 1 0-0 3, Allen 0 0-0 0.
Totals: 17-3/7-11/50. 3-pointers: Zimmerman 1, Hickman 1, Erickson 1.
NB 25 (6-15)
Z. Ferdinandsen 5 5-5 15, Long 0 0-0 0, Hagemyer 0, T. Walter 0, Hyden 1 0-2 2, J. Clark 2 0-1 4, B. Walter 1 0-0 2, C. Clark 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 10-0/5-8/25. 3-pointers: none.
|
ADA NORTH BALTIMORE |
1 4 4 |
2 15 3 |
3 13 8 |
4 18 10 |
FINAL 50 25 |
JV: Ada 49, NB 11.
