ADA - The Ada High School boys basketball team lost to the red-hot shooting of visiting arch-rival Upper Scioto Valley 66-50 in the annual non-conference grudge match on Saturday, January 11.
Ram senior Maddox Underwood drove and shot his way to a game-high 31 points to pace the victors. The athletic guard made 10 two-pointers, hit two treys and added five foul shots.
The Bulldogs fell to 9-5 after the defeat. USV improved to 7-5 with the road win. The Rams have won seven of their last nine games after an 0-3 start.
“They wanted it more than us, they were more physical,” said Ada head coach Chris Sautter. “They just wanted it more.”
ADA - The visiting Liberty-Benton High School girls basketball team knocked down 13 three-point goals to overcome feisty Ada 68-44 in a Blanchard Valley Conference doubleheader nightcap game Thursday, January 9.
The home defeat dropped the Bulldog record to 2-11 overall and 0-6 in the BVC. League leader Liberty-Benton improved to 9-5 overall and 6-1 in BVC play after the win.
“I feel like it was the hardest we have played from start to finish all season,” said Bulldog third-year head coach Zach Ricker. “Everyone played well, we competed. We focused on playing hard and having fun.”
Eagle sophomore Megan Gerken drained eight trifectas to tally a game-high 24 points. L-B senior guard Avery Knepper drilled five triples to net 21 markers.
Ada trailed 21-12 after a high-scoring first period. Knepper nailed three straight treys early to build a 13-5 lead.
ADA – The Ada High School boys basketball team held visiting Liberty-Benton to its lowest scoring output of the season, but still lost 48-26 in a first-place Blanchard Valley Conference showdown on January 9.
The Eagles broke open the low-scoring game with a 17-9 third quarter.
The Bulldogs fell to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in the BVC after the battle between the two co-league leaders.
Above) Anna Conley (#21) led the Bulldogs in scoring.
By Cort Reynolds
LIMA - The visiting Ada High School girls basketball team rode strong play in the middle quarters to a 40-34 win over non-conference foe Lima Central Catholic on Tuesday, January 7.
The hard-fought road victory upped the Bulldog record to 2-10. LCC fell to 2-8 after the defeat.
“It was a great win for the girls, and a great learning experience of how to win close games,” said Bulldog third-year head coach Zach Ricker.
Ada trailed 9-5 after the first period. But a 16-7 second quarter flurry propelled the Bulldogs to a 21-16 halftime lead.
“In the second quarter I felt like we finally settled down and we were a lot more relaxed, which led to us hitting some shots,” said Ricker.
