By Cort Reynolds
HARROD - Host Allen East closed a spirited game on an 11-2 run to rally past backyard rival Ada 45-40 in the Northwest Conference boys basketball season opener Friday night in Harrod.
The Bulldogs fell to 0-5 and 0-1 in the NWC with the hard-fought loss, while the Mustangs improved to 4-1 and 1-0 in the NWC after the victory before a loud, raucous crowd.
Ada led 15-6 after an impressive first quarter led by senior guard Cade Mullins, who scored nine points in the stanza. AE chipped away and methodically built a six-point lead, yet the Bulldogs battled back to tie it 31-31 heading to the climactic final quarter.
"We came out strong, but other than that I was very disappointed," said Ada third-year head coach Dre White.
Ada edged ahead 38-34 with 4:34 remaining to play after Zac Swaney drilled a trifecta. Phillip Coulson capped a 7-0 Bulldog splurge by knocking down an 18-footer.
But then Mustang sophomore guard Tyler Clum took over. He canned a nice driving layup, and then hit two straight 17-foot jumpers from the circle to give AE a 40-38 edge with 2:30 left.
Coulson's short baseline turnaround shot rolled around the rim agonizingly and fell out. AE rebounded and sophomore guard Bradden Crumrine converted a crucial driving three-point play with 48.9 ticks to go, giving the hosts a five-point cushion.
Ada turned the ball over but stole it back immediately, and Mullins was fouled. He canned both foul shots at the 38-second mark to cut the deficit to 43-40.
Clum missed a foul shot and Swaney rebounded, giving Ada a chance to tie with 26 seconds left. Yet Mullins misfired on a right wing trey and AE rebounded. But Crumrine missed the front end of another one-and-one, providing Ada another chance to tie.
However after an Ada timeout with 9.9 seconds left, the play the Bulldog staff drew up never had a chance to develop. Ada lost control of the in-bounds pass on a stumble.
AE senior guard Brady Harris scooped up the loose ball and ran off several precious seconds of clock by dribbling toward the basket and choosing not to shoot an uncontested layup.
After being fouled with 1.4 ticks left, Harris nailed two free throws to seal the verdict.
"Down the stretch I was disappointed with how we finished the game as a group," said White. "We have to grow up; you can't play well just in spurts. Basketball is a game of runs and you have to be able to deal with runs the other team (inevitably) will make.
"Clum stepped up and made some big, contested shots so you have to give him credit," White continued. "But we have to come together. We had two looks designed for the last play and didn't execute either one."
AE led 4-2 early after a driving Clum layup. But then Ada seized control behind Mullins. He nailed a right corner triple and two foul shots to give the purple and gold a 7-4 lead.
Senior post Connor Frazier sank a bank shot that rolled around the rim and in. Mullins canned a left-handed putback and Brandon Hull made a driving layup to cap an 11-0 Ada run.
Harris rolled in a runner to stop the spurt and cut the lead to 13-6. Yet Mullins made another lefty layin off the bounce to put Ada in front 15-6 after the opening period.
Harris knocked down a trey and a foul shot to start period two well for the Mustangs. A layup off a nice back cut and Devin Reed feed pulled AE within 15-12.
Swaney halted the flurry with a trifecta, but Reed canned a tip-in and Mason Dotson drained a trey to inch the Mustangs within 18-17.
Hull converted a southpaw layup in transition and Frazier sank a jump hook to put Ada back on top 22-17 with 1:22 left before halftime.
Crumrine then splashed four straight free throws and bounced in a lane runner with 25 seconds to go in the half that put AE ahead 23-22 at intermission.
Hull started half two with another fast break layin, but Crumrine put the hosts back on top 26-24 by splashing a left corner triple. A lane post-up shot by Reed rolled in, and Crumrine's second left corner trey extended the AE lead to 31-25.
Swaney halved the deficit by swishing a left wing trifecta at the 3:58 mark. Mullins canned a breakaway layup with 2:11 left, and Frazier hit a foul shot to knot the score at 31-all heading to the final period.
Mustang senior Dalton Clum swished a left corner three to give AE the lead 27 seconds into the fourth period. Frazier converted a pair at the charity stripe, and Swaney gave Ada the lead back by burying a left wing trey at the 5:15 juncture.
Coulson's 18-foot shot put the Bulldogs in front 38-34 before AE started on its decisive 11-2 closing spurt.
Crumrine led all players with 17 points. Harris and Clum added eight apiece.
Mullins topped Ada with a season-best 14 points. Swaney scored nine and Frazier added seven markers. "Cade played well," White noted.
Ada sank shots 14 from the floor, including four from beyond the arc from three-point range. The Bulldogs canned eight of 13 from the charity stripe (62 percent).
AE connected on 16 field goals and hit five triples. The Mustangs also converted eight of 11 from the foul line (73 percent).
"Good teams execute at the end of games, and the moment got to us," White said. "It was a fun, loud atmosphere typical of this backyard rivalry."
Ada easily won the reserve contest, 43-20. Ty Miller led the victors with 16 points while Tristan Conley added 11.
Ada 40 (0-5, 0-1 NWC)
Mullins 4 5-8 14, Frazier 2 3-4 7, Coulson 2 0-0 4, Hall 0, Z. Swaney 3 0-0 9, Hull 3 0-1 6, Cook 0.
Totals: 14/8-13/40. 3-pointers: Swaney 3, Mullins 1.
AE 45 (4-1, 1-0 NWC)
Reed 2 0-0 4, Harris 2 3-4 8, T. Clum 4 0-1 8, Crumrine 5 5-6 17, Dotson 1 0-0 3, D. Clum 1 0-0 3, Criblez 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 16/8-11/45. 3-pointers: Crumrine 2, Harris 1, D. Clum 1, Dotson 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 15 7 9 9 40
AE 6 17 8 14 45
JV: Ada 43, AE 20.
Ada (0-3 road) tries to regroup and snap a 10-game losing streak dating back to the end of last season when they visit streaking non-league foe Perry (4-1) Saturday evening, Dec. 15.
The Commodores crushed NWCC foe Waynesfield 90-36 Friday night to record their fourth consecutive win after a season-opening loss to Delphos St. John's.
"Perry is extremely athletic, they like to press and run," White noted. "We have to grow up and get ready to face a good team in Perry."
