By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Lady Bulldog point guard Courtney Sumner fired in a game-high 26 points, including the final 11 markers, in the nailbiting Ada regular season finale Thurday night vs. visiting Lincolnview.
The talented sophomore knocked down three of her five three-point field goals in the final five minutes to keep the Bulldogs in contention.
But her desperation triple from the right wing at the buzzer just missed sending the game to overtime, and homestanding Ada lost a 54-51 Northwest Conference thriller in a battle for seventh place.
Ada played its best game of the season but came up agonizingly short.
"That was by far our best game of the year, and the best in my three years as head coach," said Ada head coach Morgan Bass. "It was the most fun we have had. We had five girls playing defense all game."
Sumner swished a long left wing triple with 4:55 remaining to inch Ada within 45-43 and start her closing hot streak. Junior Lancer southpaw Zadria King hit a layup at the 2:56 mark.
Sumner canned a driving layin 17 seconds later. Then with two minutes left, she buried a right wing trifecta to give Ada a 48-47 lead.
Kendall Bollenbacher canned a short bank shot to give Lincolnview a 49-48 edge with 36 seconds left. Ada missed a driving shot, King rebounded and was fouled with 18.2 seconds to go.
King hit the first foul shot, and then came the backbreaker. She missed the second free toss but Bollenbacher grabbed the offensive rebound and sank a putback with 16 ticks left for a 52-48 lead.
"That offensive rebound basket was the backbreaker," Bass agreed.
Not giving up, Sumner hurried downcourt and launched a step-back trey from the right wing. The high-arching shot swished through the net with 7.2 seconds left to pull Ada within one point.
Lancer senior guard Annie Mendenhall calmly converted two free throws with 6.2 ticks left to provide a little cushion and the final margin of victory.
The Lady Bulldog final regular season record fell to 5-14 overall and 1-7 in the NWC with the tough defeat. Meanwhile, Lincolnview finished their regular season 9-13 and 2-6 in the NWC after the win.
The Lancers won the hard-fought battle for seventh place in the nine-team league standings, while Ada came in eighth.
Mendenhall and Bollenbacher each hit triples to give the Lancers an 8-4 lead just over three minutes into the contest. Ada senior post Megan Light drilled a shot from the right elbow.
After Bollenbacher made a baseline runner, Bulldog senior Miranda Wills canned two foul shots to cut the Lancer lead to 12-9 after the opening stanza.
Junior Kirsten Poling canned a driving layup for the hosts early in the second stanza. A runner by Lancer Makayla Jackman bounced in. Ada freshman Olivia Burkhart sank a 15-footer, and Sumner added a bank shot.
King then took over inside by making a half hook, a short banker and another turnaround shot. Jackman stole the ball and sank a layup as the Lancers spurted ahead.
A conventional three-point play and a trifecta by Sumner kept Ada within 26-21 with 2:22 left in the half. King and Bollenbacher each converted two free tosses to offset a pair of charity stripers by Kylie Acheson to make it 30-23 at intermission.
Ada charged out of the locker room with a 7-0 run to tie it 30-30 early in the third period. Light sank a putback layin and converted a pair at the line. Light then hit a short bank shot off a nice Burkhart assist to tie it 30-all.
Mendenhall stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup to stop the flurry. Poling banked in a nice one-footed runner at the 3:40 juncture.
Jackman splashed a right side trey 15 seconds later to put the visitors ahead 36-32. Yet Burkhart answered by drilling a left wing triple at the 1:55 mark.
Carsyn Looser knocked in a short banker for a 38-35 lead. Sumner responded by hitting a left wing triple with three seconds left in the period to tie it.
But Lincolnview hurried the ball upcourt and Annie Renner drained a right side trey at the buzzer to regain the momentum and give the Lancers a 41-38 advantage heading to the final quarter.
"That was a backbreaker," said Bass of the Renner three-pointer. "It sort of deflated our momentum."
King hit a short bank shot to open the final stanza. Poling answered with a lane banker before King canned a stickback shot that put Lincolnview ahead 45-40 before the final stretch.
Sumner then tallied 11 straight Ada points in the final five minutes.
King scored 17 points to lead the Lancers, while Bollenbacher netted 14. Mendenhall added seven key points.
Poling and Light each tallied eight points to support Sumner.
"Megan had her best game," Bass noted. "That was the best we have looked defensively all year. There are a lot of positives to take away from this game."
The Lady Bulldogs connected on 18 field goals overall. Ada canned 12 two-pointers, and drained six treys.
The Bulldogs converted nine of 15 foul shots (60 percent).
The Lancer girls connected on 17 two-point goals and made four three-pointers for 21 total baskets. The visitors converted eight of 13 free throw attempts (62 percent).
Bulldog seniors Wills, Light, Alexis Waugh, Acheson and Leona Dalton played their final home game. Ada finished 3-7 at home this season.
The Lancers won the reserve game, 44-36. Selena Jordan and Katie Sizemore led the Bulldog reserves with six points apiece.
Co-champions Delphos Jefferson (7-1) and Crestview (7-1) finished tied for first in the NWC standings. DJ beat arch-rival Spencerville 48-41 and the Lady Knights held off Paulding 57-51 Thursday night to share the crown.
Paulding (5-3), Spencerville (5-3) and Columbus Grove (5-3) tied for third place.
Bluffton (4-4) came in sixth place, followed by Lincolnview (2-6), Ada (1-7) and Allen East (0-8).
Ada 51 (5-14, 1-7 NWC)
Sumner 9 3-7 26, Poling 4 0-0 8, Burkhart 2 0-0 5, Light 3 2-2 8, Waugh 0, Wills 0 2-4 2, Acheson 0 2-2 2.
Totals: 12-6/9-15/51. 3-pointers: Sumner 5, Burkhart 1.
L'view 54 (9-13, 2-6 NWC)
Jackman 3 0-0 7, Renner 1 2-2 5, Kendall Bollenbacher 5 3-4 14, Sellers 0, Looser 2 0-2 4, King 8 1-3 17, Mendenhall 2 2-2 7.
Totals: 17-4/8-13/54. 3-pointers: Jackman 1, Bollenbacher 1, Mendenhall 1, Renner 1.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 9 14 15 13 51
Lvw 12 18 11 13 54
JV: L'view 44, Ada 36.
Up next, the Bulldogs visit Marion Local in Div. IV sectional first round play. Ada was seeded 10th at the super sectional drawing.
The Lady Bulldog cagers visit third-seeded Midwest Athletic Conference power ML (17-5) Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m.
"I hope we can show up and give them a run for their money," said Bass.
The Ada/ML winner takes on sixth seed Parkway at the home of the higher seed Saturday, February 20 at 7 p.m. Parkway (9-12) received a first round bye after the higher-seeded Flyers declined it.
Minster (21-1) was voted the number one seed, with New Knoxville (18-4) tabbed second.
