PHOTOS by Mark Andreasen / CLICK to enlarge

By Cort Reynolds

ADA__The Ada High School boys basketball team dominated visiting non-conference county rival Hardin Northern 58-21 on Saturday, January 17.

It was the second Saturday in a row where Ada dominated a county rival by holding them to just 21 points.

Ada senior Kayleb Hickman poured in 13 first-period points on the strength of three triples, leading the Bulldogs to a commanding 21-3 lead. 

An 18-8 Ada second quarter led to a huge 39-11 cushion at halftime. The  Bulldogs won the third quarter 15-6 to carry a 54-17 bulge into the final stanza.

Ada improved to 10-5 overall with the blowout home win.

HN fell to 5-9 with their second loss in as many nights.

“We had much more balanced scoring tonight,” said Ada head coach Chris Sautter. “We played well against their zone and we guarded well. It is what we need every game.”

Hickman buried four first-half trifectas en route to a game-high 20 points. He tallied 18 markers in the first half to spearhead Ada to a 28-point intermission lead.

Junior Carson Conley drilled two treys in the second stanza and finished with 10 points. Senior Zack Zimmerman also tallied 10 markers.

Blake Zoladz canned six of eight foul shots to score six points.

Jake Cook led HN with seven points as no Polar Bear reached double figures.

The Bulldogs connected on 14 two-point goals and drained seven triples. Ada converted nine of 14 free throws (64 percent).

HN canned eight deuces and drained one trey. The Polar Bears sank two of five foul shots (40 percent). 

The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 at home with the victory. 

UP NEXT
Ada (3-3 BVC) is slated to play BVC foe McComb (4-9, 0-5 BVC) on Friday, January 23 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, home of the Cavaliers.

“I am excited about the opportunity to play in Cleveland,” said Sautter. “It should be a great experience for the kids.”

Ada 58 (10-5)

Oldfield 2 1-2 5, Zimmerman 5 0-0 10, Conley 3 2-4 10, Allen 1 0-0 3, Griffith 2 0-0 4, Zoladz 0 6-8 6, Hickman 8 0-0 20. 

TOTALS: 14-7/9-14/58. 3-pointers: Hickman 4, Conley 2, Allen 1.

HN 21 (5-9)

Newton 2 0-0 4, Price 2 2-2 6, Sedlock 0 0-1 0, Eibling 1 0-0 2, Cook 3 0-2 7, Gatchel 1 0-0 2.

TOTALS: 8-1/2-5/21. 3-pointers: Cook 1.