By Cort Reynolds

LEIPSIC __ The Ada High School girls basketball team tipped off its first Blanchard Valley Conference season with a hard-fought 42-33 loss at league foe Leipsic Tuesday night.

Ada led 16-15 at halftime after outscoring the Vikings 12-6 in the second stanza. 

Yet Leipsic turned the tables in the third period behind a 14-6 quarter that provided a 29-22 lead. The hosts also took the final stanza 13-11 to win by nine.

The league defeat dropped the Bulldog record to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the BVC. The Vikings improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the BVC after the win.

“In the third quarter Leipsic went on a run, and we couldn’t ever close the gap,” said Bulldog third-year head coach Zach Ricker.

Ada started the game trailing 9-0, but scored the last four points of the opening stanza to make it 9-4. The Bulldog girls then tallied the first nine points of the second stanza to complete a 13-0 run and grab a four-point advantage.

Leipsic then responded. The Vikings outscored Ada over the last part of the second period and in the third quarter by a combined total of 20-9 to regain control.

Junior center Anna Conley led Ada with eight points. Senior guard Lexi Poling hit the only Bulldog trifecta in the second period when she tallied five of her seven markers. 

Bulldog sophomore post Brooklynn Andreasen added six points in her season debut.

Ada freshman Emily Gibson and sophomore Kenley Poling each netted four points.

Viking Brooklynn Cunningham led all scorers with 12 points. Teammate Peyton Schroeder netted 10 markers.

Ada canned 14 two-point goals and canned two of six foul shots (33 percent). They drained one triple.

Leipsic sank 17 deuces, and also made just one triple.

The Vikings converted a mere five of 14 free throw tries (36 percent).

Ada 33 (0-2, 0-1 BVC)

K. Poling 2 0-1 4, L. Poling 3 0-2 7, Gibson 2 0-0 4, Burns 1 1-1 3, Conley 4 0-0 8, Hevlin 0 1-2 1, Andreasen 3 0-0 6. Totals: 14-1/2-6/33. 3-pointers: L. Poling 1. 

Leipsic 42 (1-0, 1-0 BVC)

Cunningham 6 0-6 12, Apple 3 0-0 6, K. Schroeder 0 1-2 1, Arrizola 1 0-0 2, P. Schroeder 4 1-2 10, Tussing 2 0-0 4, Perez 2 3-4 7.

Totals: 17-1/5-14/42. 3-pointers: P. Schroeder 1.

1 2 3 4 F

Ada 4 12 6 11 33

Leip 9 6 14 13 42

No JV game.

Ada (0-2 on road) entertains county rival Hardin Northern (1-0) Tuesday, December 3 at 6 p.m. in the Bulldog home opener. 

HN beat New Bremen 48-37 in their season lidlifter Nov. 22. Freshman Baylie Bacon led the Polar Bear girls with 17 points. Junior Alaina Thomas contributed 13 points, seven steals and six assists.

The first home Ada BVC game is Thursday, Dec. 5 vs. Vanlue (1-1, 0-1 BVC). The Wildcats beat USV 31-27 Saturday, but lost to McComb in their league opener Tuesday, 57-20.