By Cort Reynolds

ADA - The visiting Fostoria girls basketball team rode a 19-0 spurt midway through a close contest to a 72-61 non-conference win over Ada Tuesday evening.

The purple and gold fell to 7-12, while the visitors improved to 6-12 with the defeat.

Ada senior Haley Wyss tallied a career-high 26 points, but the big Lady Red run bridging the middle periods spelled the difference. Fostoria outscored Ada 22-11 in the third period, including 13-0 at the outset.

"I thought we did ok the first half, especially rebounding," said Bulldog head coach Bill Taflinger. "The start of the second half decided the game. We started having to scramble on defense, people got out of position and that led to them getting more offensive rebounds."

Fostoria began the third period with those 13 unanswered points to seize a 45-30 cushion. Combined with a 6-0 flurry that ended the first half, the spurt covered 19 consecutive points.

Anney Archer ended the splurge witha basket and a 5-0 mini-run helped advance Ada within 49-37. A runner by Sydney Newland bounced in at the third period buzzer to make the deficit 54-41.

Wyss netted a layup, a left wing trey and a foul shot to start the fourth quarter. A layup by Archer and a triple from the top of the key by Maddie Gossard capped a 9-0 flurry that rallied Ada within 56-52.

But then Fostoria tallied the next six points to regain control 62-56 midway through the final stanza. Wyss sank a driving banker and then bounced in an eight-foot lane runner to inch the Bulldogs within 63-56 at the 3:25 mark.

Two free throws by junior Larai Williams were answered by a Wyss fast break layin with two minutes left. However, Fostoria ran off the next six points on four free throws and a lane shot by Tyriana Settles to build a 71-58 cushion in the final minute.

"We got way behind and took a lot of energy to get back in it," said Taflinger.

Archer sank one foul shot and Wyss added two more charity stripers in the last second to provide the final margin of 11.

The speedy Williams tallied eight quick points to help fast-paced Fostoria grab an early 14-8 lead. Wyss drained a trey and Archer drilled a left corner 17-footer to get Ada on the board. Yet Settles canned a short transition jumper and Evion Taylor tallied four points for the visitors.

Archer knocked down a basket and layup to cap her six-point opening quarter and slice the Bulldog deficit to 20-12.

Wyss sank two foul shots to open the second stanza. Alyssa Vore nailed a left wing triple and Gossard splashed a right wing trey to tie it 20-20.

Ada capped an 11-0 run and took a 21-20 lead on an Archer foul shot with 5:54 to go in the half. Taylor scored inside off an in-bounds play and Williams sank a driving banker for a 24-21 Lady Red lead.

Vore canned a follow shot and Wyss split a pair at the line to tie it, 24-24. Settles banked in a lane jumper but Rilan Conley's stickback three-point play inside gave Ada a 27-26 edge.

Teara Coulson buried a right wing three to give the purple and gold its largest and last lead of 30-26 late in the half. Taylor then sank a layup and Settles tied it on an offensive rebound hoop. Senior point guard Gabby Gregg bounced in a jumper to give Fostoria a narrow 32-30 lead at intermission.

"I told the girls the first part of the second half would be very important, and it was," noted Taflinger.

It was Fostoria which burst out of the halftime break with 13 more unanswered points. Gregg sank a 14-footer to begin the barrage. Settles bounced in a 15-footer and Williams drove coast to coast for a layin and a 38-30 lead at the 6:40 juncture.

Gregg drilled a right wing trifecta and Settles canned yet another putback inside. Williams converted a fast beak layup with 5:19 left in the third stanza to finish the decisive run.

When the dust cleared, Fostoria had scored 19 straight points over six minutes to gain complete command of the game. Ada was able to whittle the lead to four in the fourth, but could get no closer.

Archer supported Wyss with 16 points, but no other Bulldog scored more than six. Wyss also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. 

Settles netted 24 points and grabbed 13 boards while Williams scored 21 points for the Lady Red. Taylor added 11 markers and Gregg tallied 10.

Ada sank 21 field goals, including six triples. They connected on 13 of 22 (59 percent) at the charity stripe.

Fostoria drained 24 baskets, but hit just one trey. The Lady Red converted 23 of 29 at the foul line (79 percent).

Fostoria also won a two-quarter reserve contest, 33-17. Raina England scored seven points and Morgan Swick added six for the Bulldogs.

Ada 61 (7-12)

M. Gossard 2 0-0 6, Coulson 1 0-0 3, Wyss 7 10-15 26, Vore 2 0-0 5, Archer 7 2-4 16, Newland 1 0-0 2, England 0, Conley 1 1-3 3.

Totals: 21/13-22/61. 3-pointers: M. Gossard 2, Wyss 2, Vore 1, Coulson 1. 

Fostoria 72 (6-12)

Gregg 4 1-2 10, Grine 1 4-7 6, Settles 9 6-6 24, Taylor 4 3-4 11, Williams 6 9-10 21.

Totals: 24/23-29/72. 3-pointer: Gregg 1.

1 2 3 4 F

Ada 12 18 11 20 61

Fos 20 12 22 18 72

JV: Fostoria 33, Ada 17

Ada (0-6 NWC) hosts local rival and league co-leader Bluffton (14-4, 6-0 NWC) Thursday in a key conference contest. The Lady Pirates are tied with Columbus Grove for the league lead with two NWC contests left.

"Bluffton is good, especially (senior) Abbie Parkins and (sophomore) Alivia Koenig," said Taflinger of the two returning Pirate first team All-NWC cagers.