By Cort Reynolds - photos by Stephanie Frazier
ADA - Host Ada racked up 45 first half points and went on to post an impressive 74-54 win over Lincolnview in Northwest Conference boys basketball action Friday night.
The Bulldogs shot 55 percent from the field and 43 percent beyond the arc to post the surprisingly lopsided win. Senior wing Phillip Coulson fired in a career-high 30 points to pace the Valentine's Day victory.
"It was our best game of the season," agreed Bulldog fourth-year head coach Dre White. "We shot well, but we also did a ton of other things right. It was good to see things all come together in one game.
"We rebounded well, played physical - which is unusual for us - and our transition defense was good. Those were the three main things we focused on, and we executed them all to a T," he added.
Ada improved to 8-12 overall and 3-4 in the NWC with the victory. Meanwhile, Lincolnview fell to 10-10 and 5-2 in the NWC with the defeat.
"Ada shot it well," said Lancer head coach Brett Hammons. "Our defense wasn't what it was supposed to be. We can't give up 45 points in a half, especially on so many easy baskets. Coulson hit some shots early, and that really got his offense going."
The Bulldogs rolled up a season-best 24 points in a sizzling first period to build a big early lead. Senior post Ty Miller started the game by nailing a turnaround banker.
Ada junior guard Zac Swaney splashed a left corner triple and Miller followed with a tip-in. Coulson canned a fast break layin from a Brandon Hull pass to make it 9-2 off the bat.
Junior point guard Hull took over by converting three drives and a free throw as he penetrated at will. Coulson then drained a triple.
Junior Creed Jessee tallied six straight points for the Lancers, but the visitors could not stop Ada from scoring on almost every possession. Bulldog senior post Jake Rayl sank a short banker and a layup from a Cayden Murphy dish to cap the big first quarter.
When the smoke cleared after the buzzer, Ada led 24-8.
Coulson buried a left corner trifecta sandwiched around four points by Lancer junior forward Jake Bowersock to open the second stanza. Hull canned a driving layup, yet Lancer junior guard Collin Overholt drained a triple.
Coulson answered by drilling another trey from the right wing. Overholt made a driving layup high off the glass, but Hull matched it with a driving layin of his own.
A driving three-point play by Hull extended the Ada lead to 37-19 with 3:07 left in the half. Coulson continued his barrage by nailing a right wing three. Hull muscled into the lane again for a basket as the Bulldogs built the margin to 23.
"Hull is a heck of a player, he really attacked the basket," Hammons noted.
Bowersock converted a traditional three-point play with a southpaw layin at the 1:25 mark. Three Bulldog free throws ended the first half with Ada in command, 45-22.
The hard-driving Hull poured in 17 first-half points while Coulson netted 14.
Miller completed an old-fashioned three-point play inside to start the second half and give Ada its biggest lead of 26. Lincolnview then became more aggressive and tried a fullcourt zone press.
Bowersock scored inside, and Overholt then sank an amazing double-pump drive as he sailed out of bounds while being fouled. Overholt then stole the ball and scored to cut the lead to 50-29.
Jessee made a driving shot. But Coulson sank a running banker and a layup off a Swaney steal and Hull assist. Bowersock banked in a jump hook as both teams stayed hot.
Bowersock then sank a follow-up shot and four straight charity stripers, sandwiched between another Coulson triple, to pull the visitors within 58-41 after three periods of play.
Bowersock continued his personal eight-point run by sinking a turnaround bank shot that cut the lead to 15 with 7:33 remaining. Overholt executed a stop and go left side banker at the seven-minute mark to inch within 58-45.
But as Ada went into a semi-delay offense, Murphy stopped the run with consecutive layups, the second off a nice Swaney assist. Coulson capped the clinching 6-0 flurry by hitting a 14-foot fadeaway. Lincolnview seemed to run out of gas at that point.
"We fought back within 13 by attacking the basket," Hammons noted. "But then we took and missed three straight three's, and they had a 6-0 run."
White agreed that juncture was a crucial turning point to stem any chance of a late Lancer rally.
"That was a key stretch where they missed a three down 13, and we came down and got a basket," White noted. "That was a five-point swing."
With Ada now comfortably ahead 64-45, Bowersock canned a half hook with 4:30 left, but it was all but over. Coulson kept his foot on the pedal by canning an eight-footer and four consecutive free throws.
Murphy and Hull added back-to-back layins to complete an 8-0 spurt that rebuilt the Ada lead to 74-49. Overholt then banked in a difficult left-handed, three-point drive from seven feet.
Fletcher Collins knocked down a lane shot off the glass to finish the scoring and reduce the final margin to 20.
"I love how Phil has stuck with it through adversity," said White of the game's high scorer. "I have a lot of respect for him and Lincolnview. It was a very nice win to beat a good program (by 20).
"Overall, I am very proud of our guys," he continued. "It was a collective team effort for 32 minutes. Micah Cook didn't score, but he defended well and hit the boards, and was as happy as anyone in the post-game locker room."
Veratile Hull ended up with 19 points, five rebounds and several assists despite second half foul trouble. Murphy netted a season-high 10 markers inside, while Miller contributed seven points and tough interior play.
Cook yanked down a team-high nine rebounds, and also blocked two shots.
Bowersock led the Lancers with 21 points, while Overholt tallied 17. Creed added 13 markers.
"Lincolnview is hard to guard, but we played man to man defense well," White offered. "Our defense was a huge plus. They can run and hurt you on the break, but we held that in check."
The Bulldogs canned 28 of 51 shots overall from the field (55 percent). Ada sank six of 14 from beyond the arc (43 percent) and hit on a red-hot 22 of 37 two-point attempts (59 percent).
Ada converted 12 of 16 from the foul line (75 percent), while the Lancers canned 15 of 21 shots from the charity stripe (71 percent).
Lincolnview connected on 19 of 47 field goal tries overall (40 percent). The Lancers made 18 of 35 two-point attempts (51 percent), but connected on only one of 12 triple tries (eight percent).
The Lancers were out-rebounded soundly by the hustling Bulldogs, 32-18. Ada committed nine turnovers, while Lincolnview was charged with 11 miscues.
The Ada reserves also won the undercard, 48-41. Tristan Conley led the Bulldog reserves with 23 points. Ada improved its JV record to 9-8 with the victory.
Avery Slusher scored 11 points to pace the Lancer reserves.
Ada 74 (8-12, 3-5 NWC)
Swaney 1 0-0 3, Hull 7 5-7 19, Coulson 10 5-6 30, Rayl 2 1-2 5, Cook 0, C. Murphy 5 0-0 10, Miller 3 1-1 7.
Totals: 28-51/12-16/74. 3-pointers (6-14): Coulson 5, Swaney 1.
Lincolnview 54 (10-10, 5-2 NWC)
Price 0 0-2 0, Leeth 0 1-2 1, C. Overholt 7 2-2 17, Bowersock 8 5-6 21, Jessee 3 7-9 13, Collins 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 19-47/15-21/54. 3-pointers (1-12): Overholt 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 24 21 13 16 74
Lvw 8 14 19 13 54
JV: Ada 48, Lincolnview 41.
Ada visits winless Temple Christian (0-20) Saturday, Feb. 15 in a non-conference game, the last road outing of the campaign. The Bulldogs are 2-8 away from home this season.
"Temple is a trap game," warned White. "Hopefully the kids will come out with the same intensity and mindset (as tonight) against them. We just have to go over there and take care of business.
"Our goal before the season was to get double-digit wins, and we have a chance to achieve that," he added.
Lincolnview hosts tough Arlington (16-4) Saturday night in a non-league tilt. The Red Devils swamped Arcadia 74-50 Friday night.
