Mustangs edge Ada at end
By Cort Reynolds
WAYNESFIELD - Allen East broke away from a halftime tie to post a 52-47 win over rival Ada in the third-place game of the inaugural Border Battle boys basketball tournament in Waynesfield Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs fell to 2-7 with the loss, while the Mustangs improved to 3-5 after the victory. Their win avenged a 40-32 loss at rival Ada 15 days earlier.
Cold shooting from the floor by both teams matched the weather outside, but AE shot accurately beyond the arc and at the foul line to provide the difference.
"We didn't shoot it well (32 percent) and we also did not compete on the glass," said Ada second-year head coach Dre White. "We did not come out with enough fire after a loss to respond and get a W.
"Give Allen East credit, they did what they do and executed," he continued. "Brady Harris hit some big shots for them and stepped up. Reed dominated inside and Crumrine is a good, young player who stepped up and hit a big three to win it."
Junior post Devin Reed scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Mustangs, dominating inside. Junior guard Harris canned four trifectas en route to 16 points. Freshman guard Bradden Crumrine added 11 points and the clinching triple.
"Unfortunately for us, that probably won't be the last big shot he (Crumrine) has against us - he is a good young player," said White.
In a reversal of their initial meeting, AE won the board battle 34-27. Ada committed just 11 turnovers while the Mustangs made 14 errors.
Junior Cade Mullins led Ada with 16 points and three steals. Sophomore Phillip Coulson and junior Xavier Hollinger each added nine points. Senior Ethan Swaney dished out three assists and contributed six points.
Ada sank just 16 of 50 shots from the floor, including nine of 25 inside the arc (36 percent) and seven of 25 from three-point range (28 percent). The Bulldogs converted eight of 10 from the charity stripe (80 percent).
AE drained 16 of 46 field tries (35 percent) but hit on six of 14 behind the arc (43 percent). The Mustangs also canned 78 percent from the foul line (14-18).
Ada 47 (2-7)
E. Swaney 2-2-6, Mullins 5-4-16, Frazier 1-0-2, Conley 0, Coulson 3-1-9, Hall 0, Z. Swaney 0, Hollinger 3-0-9, Conrad 1-0-2, Hull 1-1-3.
Totals: 16-50/8-10/47. 3-pointers (7-25): Mullins 2, Hollinger 3, Coulson 2.
AE 52 (3-5)
Reed 5-5-15, Harris 5-2-16, McClure 0-1-1, T. Clum 1-1-4, Crumrine 4-2-11, Whitley 1-2-4, D. Clum 0-1-1.
Totals: 16-46/14-18/52. 3-pointers (6-14): Harris 4, Crumrine 1, T. Clum 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 11 10 11 15 47
AE 10 11 15 16 52
Ada (2-1 home) tries to regroup and snap a five-game losing streak when they host non-league foe Fort Jennings (5-3) Tuesday evening, January 2.
"Ft. Jennings is a good team and we have to be ready to go," White noted.
AE (1-2 road) visits Lima Temple Christian (4-5) Saturday, January 6.\
Late rally lifts Mustangs over Ada girls
By Cort Reynolds
WAYNESFIELD - Allen East outscored local rival Ada 18-7 in the final quarter to capture the inaugural Border Battle tournament girls basketball crown Saturday evening at Waynesfield.
The purple and gold fell to 2-7 overall with the tough title game defeat, while the Lady Mustangs improved to 4-4 and won the championship.
"We played well but they got hot against our zone finally in the fourth quarter," said Lady Bulldog head coach Bill Taflinger.
Ada led 10-6 after one quarter and scored only two points in a low-scoring second period, yet still managed to lead 12-11 at intermission.
The Bulldogs extended the margin to 25-21 after three periods of the defensive battle. But Mustang Katie Newland heated up and scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter to lead the finishing rally by AE.
Senior guard Teara Coulson led Ada with 11 points while classmate Anney Archer contributed nine markers. Senior Maddie Gossard led the purple and gold with eight rebounds.
Mustang junior Lauren Criblez scored eight points, while junior Lakin Basham and classmate Ally Richardson added seven markers apiece.
The defensive battle was much closer than their first meeting at AE Dec. 14, won by the Mustangs over the Bulldogs by a 63-35 count. The 2-3 Ada zone stymied AE for most of the game before the Mustang shooters found the range in the final period.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 10 2 13 7 32
AE 6 5 10 18 39
Ada (0-4 home) returns home Thursday, January 4 for a non-league battle against LCC.
