By Cort Reynolds

ADA__The visiting Bluffton High School girls basketball team methodically wore down rival Ada over the middle quarters to win 49-30 in a Northwest Conference contest Thursday night.

The Pirates won the second and third periods by a combined 32-13 to pull away and win. 

Bluffton held the Bulldogs to just four points in the second period to build an 11-point halftime bulge. The Pirates then started the second half on a 9-1 spurt to seize complete command.

The visitors poured in 21 third-period points to build an insurmountable 45-22 margin heading to the final stanza.

The Pirate girls evened their marks at 5-5 and 1-1 in the NWC after the convincing victory.

The Bulldogs dropped to 4-7 overall and 0-3 in Northwest Conference play with the defeat. 

“We shot well in the third quarter and our bench came up big,” said new Pirate head coach Adam Burris. “We passed well with a purpose, there were no soft passes.”

“We just struggled offensively, we didn’t handle their pressure,” said Ada head coach Zach Ricker. “At times defensively we played how we wanted to, but they hit shots.”

Crisp Pirate passing against the Ada zone defense eventually led to easy shots for Bluffton. 

Pirate 6-2 junior post Ayla Grandey muscled inside for three baskets and two free throws in the first period. 

Ada senior guard Olivia Burkhart hit a runner over Grandey to get the Bulldogs on the board. Sophomore post Anna Conley canned a 10-foot left baseline shot, and junior Lexi Poling sank a 10-foot right baseline shot to tie it 6-6.

Pirate Gracie Warren came off the bench to splash a right wing triple. But Ada senior southpaw Mariah King banked in a traditional three-play to tie it for the last time at 9-9.

Two Grandey layups gave Bluffton a 13-9 lead after the opening stanza. 

An eight-footer by backup senior post Lauren Bassett capped a 6-0 Pirate run to start the second stanza. Burkhart answered by making a driving layup at the 5:42 mark.

Sophomore Cross nailed a 15-footer, and senior guard Ashley Fleece went to work. She drilled a pull-up shot, then drained a trey from the top of the key to double up Ada 22-11 at the 2:15 point.

Burkhart knocked down a 14-footer to end the 7-0 Pirate flurry two minutes before intermission. Grandey scored inside to make it 24-13 at halftime.

“We had no offense in the second quarter,” Ricker lamented. 

Bluffton then broke the game wide open with a 9-1 spurt out of the second half gate. Fleece sank a fast break layin to ignite the spurt. Macy Schaadt splashed a left corner trey.

Ada senior Autumn Andreasen split two foul shots to stem the run temporarily, but Fleece drilled a 12-footer. Blair Utendorf then stole the ball and made a layup for a 33-14 cushion.

Junior guard Lexi Poling banked in a 13-footer at the 3:47 mark for Ada. Andreasen posted up and scored inside to keep the hosts within 16. Yet Fleece hit a layup, followed by a Burkhart nine-footer that cut the deficit to 36-20.

Cross completed a three-point drive, followed by a Bassett power layup for a 21-point margin. Bassett canned a short half-hook, and Poling responded by knocking down another pull-up shot off glass. 

Bassett capped the period with another layup to make it 45-22 after three quarters. Fleece and Bassett and each tallied six points in the 21-point Pirate stanza.

“Lauren Bassett came out strong and got some easy baskets, and Vanessa Cross played one of her better games,” Burris noted. “She has good court vision.”

A left side trifecta by Schaadt made it 49-22 early in the final period. Conley canned a bank shot to spark a game-ending 8-0 Ada run. 

King stole the ball and made a coast-to-coast driving layup with 70 seconds left. The speedster then swiped another pass, was fouled and canned both foul shots.

Ashley Hevlin sank a putback with 25 seconds remaining to pull Ada within 19, and that is how the game ended.

Fleece led the balanced Pirates with 11 points. “We don’t look to her for a  lot of offense, so 11 points from her is huge,” said Burris. “She limits our turnovers, is a good leader and keeps us under control.”

Grandey ended up with 10 points, all in the first half.

“I thought we defended the Grandey girl pretty well, but she draws so much attention it leaves others open,” said Ricker.

Bassett scored eight points, while Schaadt netted six on two treys. Cross and Utendorf added five markers apiece. 

Burkhart topped Ada with eight points. King contributed seven points, three steals and a blocked shot. Poling added six markers.

The Pirate bench tallied 17 big points. 

Bluffton canned 16 two-point field goals and splashed four shots from beyond the arc. The victors converted five of six charity stripers (83 percent).  

The Ada girls connected on 13 two-point goals but made no three-pointers. The Bulldogs converted four of their nine free throws (44 percent).

The Pirate girls also won the two-quarter reserve contest, 25-9. Freshman Gracie Warren led the Bluffton JV with nine points, while Avery Hobensack added six. Hevlin led Ada with four markers.

Bluffton hosts league-leading foe Crestview (10-1, 3-0 NWC) Thursday, January 11. The Knight girls, featuring returning league Player of the Year Cali Gregory, beat Columbus Grove 52-39 Thursday evening.

“Crestview will be a real battle,” said Burris. “It is home but will be a tough one.”

Ada 30 (4-7, 0-3 NWC)

Burkhart 4 0-0 8, King 2 3-5 7, L. Poling 3 0-0 6, K. Poling 0 0-0 0, A. Andreasen 1 1-2 3, Sizemore 0 0-0 0, Conley 2 0-2 4, Hevlin 1 0-0 2.  

Totals: 13-0/4-9/30. 3-pointers: none.

Bluffton 49 (5-5, 1-1 NWC)

Hobensack 0, Cross 2 1-1 5, Fleece 5 0-0 11, Dearth 0 1-2 1, Schweingruber 0, Warren 1 0-0 3, Schaadt 2 0-0 6, Utendorf 2 1-2 5, Bassett 4 0-0 8, Grandey 4 2-2 10.  

Totals: 16-4/5-6/49. 3-pointers: Schaadt 2, Warren 1, Fleece 1.

2-quarter JV: Bluffton 25, Ada 9.