By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Visiting Lincolnview rode a swarming fullcourt press to a big early lead and cruised to a 52-20 win over Ada in a Northwest Conference girls basketball game Thursday night.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to 1-18 overall and 0-7 in the NWC with the defeat, while the Lady Lancers improved to 7-14 and 1-6 with their first league victory.
After Ada sophomore Alexis Waugh nailed a short bank shot to pull within 4-2, quick Lincolnview reeled off 12 unanswered points and they never led by less than double digits the rest of the way.
"Their press bothered us for sure," admitted Bulldog head coach Morgan Bass. "We just couldn't score. I was proud of our intensity and effort the whole way through.
"Lincolnview is better than their record," she agreed.
Ada ended the 12-0 Lancer spurt on a Waugh foul shot. A layup by sophomore post Megan Light off a nice Kirsten Poling assist cut the deficit to 16-5 after one period of play.
Lancer senior guard Adia Welch canned a short left side banker to open the second stanza. Seconds later after a steal off the press, Welch netted a layup.
Speedy Ada freshman guard Timber Blankenship canned a driving layup but Brianna Ebel scored inside off a Lana Carey lob. Carey then stole the ball and made another layup to provide a 24-7 lead.
Ebel drained a left wing trifecta and Welch sank a transition layup to cap the 10-0 flurry and give Lincolnview a 30-7 cushion.
Buldog sophomore Miranda Wills converted two foul shots to cut the deficit to 21 at intermission. But 18 first half turnovers doomed Ada.
Carey sank two baskets to open the second half. Yet Ada sophomore guard Brenna George canned a lane shot and a fast break layin to cut it to 35-13.
Bulldog Light sank a short bank shot but Welch knocked down a 17-footer. Lancer guard Annie Mendenhall buried a trey, followed by another three from Kendall Bollenbacher to give the visitors a 45-15 lead heading to the fourth period. Blankenship canned a line-drive left wing triple to open the final quarter.
Freshman guard Poling drained a bank shot to make it 47-20.
Lincolnview tallied the last five points on a short shot by Welch, followed by a steal and layup by Andi Webb just before the final buzzer.
Welch led nine Lancers in the scoring column with a game-high 15 points. Carey added nine.
Blankenship topped Ada with five points. George and Light each tallied four points.
The Lancers sank 17 two-point goals, made three treys and converted 9 of 19 (47 percent) from the charity stripe. Ada knocked down eight field goals including one trifecta, and converted three of their five of their attempts from the foul line (60 percent).
At halftime of "Pack the Pound" night, Ada senior Cade Mullins banked in a halfcourt shot that circled the iron and hung on the rim before dropping in to win $500.
Then after the third period, sophomore Zac Swaney became the first person to win the hot shot competition by hitting a layup, free throw and three-pointer in 20 seconds to win $100.
Ada 20 (1-18, 0-7 NWC)
Wills 0 2-2 2, Poling 1 0-0 2, Light 2 0-0 4, Waugh 1 1-2 3, George 2 0-0 4, Blankenship 2 0-1 5.
Totals: 8/3-5/20. 3-pointer: Blankenship 1.
Lincolnview 52 (7-14, 1-6 NWC)
Ebel 3 0-0 7, Carey 4 1-2 9, Bollenbacher 1 1-2 4, Webb 1 0-0 2, Welch 7 1-2 15, Bear 0 1-2 1, Adams 2 2-4 6, Brant 1 1-2 3, Mendenhall 1 2-2 5, King 0 0-3 0.
Totals: 20/9-19/52. 3-pointers: Ebel 1, Mendenhall 1, Bollenbacher 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 5 4 6 5 20
Lvw 16 14 15 7 52
JV: Lincolnview 19, Ada 9.
Up next, Ada hosts local non-league foe Waynesfield-Goshen (5-14) Tuesday, February 12. W-G beat the Bulldogs at their previous meeting in the third-place game of the Border Battle tournament Dec. 29 by a 44-25 count.
"Waynesfield is scrappy and plays hard," said Bass.
