By Cort Reynolds
Visiting Delphos Jefferson shot its way to a big first half lead and made it stand up for a 60-45 victory over Ada in a Northwest Conference girls basketball contest Thursday night. The Lady Bulldogs fell to 6-8 and 0-5 in the NWC with the defeat. Meanwhile, the Lady Wildcats improved to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in the NWC with the win.
"We fell behind too far early, then had to play catch-up and pressure, which we are not built to do," said Ada head coach Bill Taflinger. "We played hard to the end, but Delphos shot well early and got us out of our junk zone."
DJ ran out to an 11-4 lead and grabbed an 11-point advantage after the opening stanza. The Lady Wildcats never trailed and led by as many as 24 late before Ada tallied the final nine points.
"We shot the ball well and got off to a good start," said DJ veteran head coach David Hoffman. "We contested shots and handled their scorers pretty well defensively."
Wildcat junior guard Sarah Miller scored all 10 of her points in the first period to spearhead the Wildcat charge. She canned a top of the key triple, made a conventional three-point putback and added a pair of layups to shoot Jefferson into command.
Ada guard Anney Archer canned the first two Bulldog baskets, followed by a Teara Coulson trifecta that inched the hosts within 11-7 with 3:55 left in the first.
Junior guard Devyn Carder drained a right wing triple to cap a 6-0 mini-run, and Bulldog sophomore Rilan Conley sank a lane shot to slice the DJ bulge to 20-9 after the opening stanza. Carder then nailed a right side trey to open the second quarter. Junior guard Macy Wallace stole the ball and coasted in for a breakaway layup and a 25-9 advantage.
Ada reserve Raina England canned consecutive baseline mid-range shots to cut the deficit to a dozen. But Carder sank a basket and Addy Stewart drained a left wing trifecta for 32-15 Wildcat cushion.
Bulldog junior Archer splashed a right wing trey, which was answered by a triple from Wildcat senior Kelsey Berelsman. Ada senior Haley Wyss then buried a three-pointer two seconds before the buzzer to pull the hosts within 35-21 at intermission. "We executed well the first half," said Hoffman.
Wallace took over to net eight of the 10 Jefferson third period points, while Carder added the other basket. At the other end, Wyss netted a right wing three and a lane runner for Ada midway through the third. Junior wing Maddie Gossard buried a foul line shot to make the score 45-30 heading to the final stanza.
Stewart's right wing triple and a fast break layin by Alli McClurg capped a 10-2 run that extended the Wildcat lead to 55-32 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Rilan Conley netted the lone Ada score in the splurge. England stopped the spurt by canning a three from out top with 4:40 remaining. DJ netted its last five points at the foul line, three by Michelle Rode, to build a 60-36 margin.
Ada finished with a 9-0 flurry that cut the final deficit to 15. Wyss splashed a driving leaner for a three-point play. Alyssa Vore netted a putback and Archer added two foul shots before twisting her ankle in a loose ball pileup with just 4.7 ticks left to play.
"We played better the second half; we only lost by one (25-24)," observed Taflinger. "We had pretty good offensive balance in our scoring," Hoffman noted. Wallace topped Jefferson with 14 points. Carder netted 13, Miller 10 and McClurg nine.
Wyss led Ada with 13 points and Archer added a season-high 11 points. England added eight off the bench. "We have to figure out a way to get Maddie some more looks," admitted Taflinger.
Ada connected on just 26 percent from the field, making 16 of 63 shots. The Bulldogs sank 11 of 37 from two-point land and just five of 26 beyond the arc. Ada canned eight of 13 foul shots. "Our defense did a good job, and Ada did not shoot well," said Hoffman.
DJ tallied 22 field goals, including six triples. They converted 10 of 13 at the charity stripe. The Bulldog JV won a two-quarter reserve game in overtime, 25-23. Conley scored 10 points and England added six for Ada, which won its third reserve contest.
Ada 45 (6-8, 0-5 NWC)
Vore 1 0-1 2, M. Gossard 2 0-1 4, Archer 3 4-4 11, Coulson 1 0-0 3, Conley 2 0-0 4, Wyss 4 3-5 13, England 3 1-2 8.
Totals: 16/8-13/45. 3-pointers (5-26): Wyss 2, Coulson 1, England 1, Archer 1.
D. Jeff 60 (7-7, 3-2 NWC)
Miller 3 1-1 10, Wallace 5 3-4 14, Carder 6 0-0 13, Stewart 3 0-0 8, Berelsman 1 0-0 3, McClurg 3 3-4 9, Rode 0 3-4 3.
Totals: 22/10-13/60. 3-pointers: Stewart 2, Carder 1, Wallace 1, Berelsman 1, Miller 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 9 12 9 15 45
DJ 20 15 10 15 60
JV: Ada 25, DJ 23 (OT).
Ada plays at non-league county foe Ridgemont (11-5) Monday, January 23. "They are pretty decent," said Taflinger. The Bulldogs are 3-4 on the road and 3-4 at home, and 1-1 vs. Hardin County foes.
