By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Visiting Allen East used a balanced offense and pressing defense to defeat backyard rival Ada 65-31 in the Northwest Conference girls basketball home opener for the Lady Bulldogs Thursday evening.
The Bulldogs fell to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with the loss, while the Lady Mustangs improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in league play after the win.
"I think we're getting better, we got good looks," said new Ada head coach Morgan Bass. "We got good effort from everyone. They pressured us, and I thought we handled it better than we have in the past.
"Lauren Criblez killed us on the boards and inside," she added.
Senior post Criblez led all players with 21 points, while classmate guard Kate Newland added 15 points. Experienced AE boasts nine seniors on its roster, while Ada has none.
Sophomore southpaw Alexis Waugh scored all eight Bulldog points in the opening half. Her layup and ensuing eight-footer bounced in to give the purple and gold a 4-2 lead with 5:50 left in the first period.
After a sluggish offensive start, AE took control with a 9-0 run. Mustang senior Olivia Lawrence tied it on two foul shots, and Criblez banked in a shot that gave the visitors the lead for good at the 3:11 mark.
Quick AE senior guard Ally Richardson then tallied a layup off two fine interior passes. Newland's free throw and a left baseline bucket by Richardson capped the spurt.
Waugh sank a fast break layin off a good long pass from Miranda Wills just before the buzzer to pull the hosts within 11-6 after one quarter of play.
"Lexi did a nice job attacking on offense," Bass noted. "We still need to get more people looking at the basket to score."
AE reeled off the first six points of the second stanza on s fast break layup by Newland and four free throws. Waugh swished an eight-footer to stop the run and edge within 17-8, but that would be the only Bulldog basket of the period.
The Mustangs ran off the final eight points of the half to seize a 25-8 cushion by intermission. Criblez netted six of those eight markers with two foul shots, a putback and a layup off a nice steal and assist by the good-passing Richardson.
Mustang Maddie McVicker provided the other score during the run on a stickback layin.
Senior Lakin Basham's short stickback opened the third quarter as AE began the half strongly. After a foul shot, Newland sank a breakaway layin to make it 30-8. Criblez canned a layup off a nice drive and dish assist by Richardson, then she made another short shot to go ahead by 26.
Criblez posted up, grabbed a lob pass and made a left-handed layup at the 4:15 mark for her third basket in a row. Basham canned a layup off a steal to extend the run to 13 unanswered points starting the half to prompt an Ada timeout with 3:12 left.
The tough Mustang defense helped pressure the youthful Bulldogs into over 20 turnovers.
Ada freshman Kirsten Poling banked in a lane shot from Wills to stop the 13-0 spurt. Criblez scored again inside, yet Wills sank an 11-footer from the left side of the lane.
Bulldog Kylie Acheson notched a putback inside to cut the margin to 26. But Criblez powered inside for another lefty layin to make it 42-14 heading to the final period.
Newland drained two left wing triples to open the fourth quarter. Poling responded by knocking down a mid-range shot, yet Newland converted a pair at the charity stripe.
Poling sank another basket, followed by two McVicker free tosses. Poling drained a leaning left baseline 10-footer, and McVicker responded by nailing a left side 17-footer.
Wills splashed three of four free throws, but Basham drained an 18-footer. Ada sophomore post Megan Light posted up and canned a layin, and Bulldog Brenna George made a breakaway layin. Basham bounced in another field goal as both offenses heated up in the final period.
Poling converted a free throw and Mustang Sydney Miller sank a field goal. Ada freshman guard Timber Blankenship nailed a lane shot, and Taylor Rooker splashed a trifecta for AE to provide the final margin of 34.
"Our offense picked up in the fourth quarter," Bass agreed. Ada scored 17 points in the last stanza, more than their combined output in the first three periods. AE tossed in 23 points in the last period.
Poling led Ada with nine points, all in the second half. Waugh added eight, all in the first half.
Basham and McVicker each contributed eight points for AE.
The Mustangs sank 24 field goals, including three treys, all in the fourth period. AE also converted 14 of 20 free throws (70 percent).
Ada canned 13 baskets and hit on five of 12 foul shots (42 percent).
Ada won the two-quarter reserve game, 7-6. Rooker scored all siz AE points.
"The thing is to keep a positive attitude," Bass noted.
Ada 31 (1-5, 0-2 NWC)
Wills 1 4-7 6, Poling 4 1-4 9, George 1 0-0 2, Light 1 0-0 2, Acheson 1 0-0 2, Waugh 4 0-0 8, Cortez 0, Blankenship 1 0-0 2, Phillips 0.
Totals: 13/5-12/31. 3-pointer: none.
AE 65 (4-1, 2-0 NWC)
Young 0, Richardson 2 0-0 4, Basham 4 0-0 8, Lawrence 0 4-6 4, Criblez 9 3-6 21, Newland 4 5-6 15, McVicker 3 2-2 8, Miller 1 0-0 2, Austin 0, Rooker 1 0-0 3.
Totals: 24/14-20/65. 3-pointers: Newland 2, Rooker 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 6 2 6 17 31
AE 11 14 17 23 65
JV: Ada 7, AE 6.
Ada (1-2 home) hosts BVC foe Van Buren Monday, Dec. 17 in a non-league battle. Wills is expected to miss the next two games after undergoing surgery to repair a broken nose Friday, Dec. 14.
"We hope to have her back for the Border Battle holiday tournament (Dec. 27/29)," said Bass.
