By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Using sharp shooting and a strong fullcourt press, a deep Columbus Grove girls basketball squad soundly defeated host Ada 66-36 Thursday night in the Northwest Conference opener.
The purple and gold lost their home lidlifter to fall to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the NWC, while conference favorite CG improved to 2-0 and 1-0 in league play with the decisive victory.
Quick Grove pressed and shot its way to an early 9-0 lead, and never was headed. Two three-point goals by Rylee Sybert and four layups by 6-0 junior post Paige Bellman propelled CG to a 25-7 lead after one period of play.
Maddie Gossard got Ada on the board with a left side 16-footer 2:38 into the fray. The junior wing then netted a putback exactly two minutes later to reduce the deficit to 16-4.
Ada senior guard Alyssa Vore bounced in a right corner triple with 32 ticks left in the opening stanza, but Carlee McCluer answered with a left corner trifecta to extend the lead to 18.
CG extended their run to 10-0 beginning period two before a left corner trey by Gossard got Ada within 32-10. Grove reeled off the next 10 points in succession, capped by a Jenny Ellerbrock trifecta.
Vore sank a lane floater and senior Haley Wyss canned two foul shots to make the score 44-15 at intermission. Ten players scored for well-balanced Grove in the first half, and they drilled six three-pointers in the first 14 minutes.
Ada outscored Grove 15-11 in the third quarter as the visitors took off their zone press. The scrappy Vore connected on a lane bank shot and added a layup off a nice Sydney Newland feed to cut it to 46-19.
Macy McCluer drained a triple and Bellman sank a stickback inside. Two Wyss foul shots and a basket by Gossard advanced the score to 53-23.
Ada junior guard Teara Coulson came off the bench to splash consecutive three-point goals, and Wyss added a foul shot to pull the hosts within 55-30 heading to the final period.
Four charity stripers by Wyss and a Gossard right wing 18-footer accounted for all six Ada fourth quarter points. Lauren Bierkemeier swished a three from out top to punctuate an 11-6 closing run by Grove.
The purple and gold were outscored only 22-21 in the second half. "That was a positive," agreed Ada third-year head coach Bill Taflinger. "I was happy with the girls' effort in the second half. It would have been easy to fold it up, but they didn't."
Bellman dominated the interior with 18 points on nine baskets to lead all scorers. Wyss topped Ada with 11 markers. Vore and Gossard each added nine points.
Ada sank 11 field goals, four of which were triples. They connected on 10 of 19 at the charity stripe. CG canned 28 baskets, including eight treys. Grove shot just five free tosses, making two.
"We are getting better, that is all we can ask for now," said Taflinger. "Playing a good team helps, but we were not ready to play a team of Grove's caliber at this point of the season."
CG also pulled away late to win the reserve contest 36-21 to drop the Ada JV to 1-1.
Ada 36 (1-1, 0-1 NWC)
M. Gossard 4 0-1 9, Coulson 2 0-0 6, Wyss 1 9-10 11, Vore 4 0-0 9, Archer 0 0-2 0, Newland 0, England 0, Conley 0 1-4 1.
Totals: 11/10-19/36. 3-pointers: M. Gossard 1, Coulson 2, Vore 1.
Col. Grove 66 (2-0, 1-0 NWC)
M. McCluer 2 0-0 6, Ellerbrock 1 2-2 5, Sybert 2 0-0 6, Birkemeier 3 0-0 7, Clement 4 0-1 8, C. McCluer 2 0-0 5, L. Schroeder 2 0-2 4, G. Schroeder 1 0-0 3, Malsam 2 0-0 4, Bellman 9 0-0 18.
Totals: 28/2-5/66. 3-pointers: M. McCluer 2, Sybert 2, Birkemeier 1, C. McCluer 1, G. Schroeder 1, Ellerbrock 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 7 8 15 6 36
CG 25 19 11 11 66
JV: CG 36, Ada 21.
Ada visits always-tough Arlington Saturday afternoon.
