Ada girls survive, boys roll at Dickson

Dec. 14—DICKSON — Ada High School girls basketball coach Christie Jennings has been involved in a number of extraordinary games throughout her long career.

But Jennings said the Lady Cougars' 50-46 road win over Dickson tops them all.

"It's the craziest game I've ever been a part of," Jennings told The Ada News. "It lasted for an hour and 45 minutes."

The game featured technical fouls and 52 free throws and had fans from both sides screaming at game officials.

"It was wild. When the buzzer finally sounded, I felt very fortunate to leave Dickson with a win," Jennings said.

It was a much-needed victory for Ada, who finished 1-2 and the rugged Sequoyah Invitational Tournament last week in Tahlequah. Ada dropped a 43-26 decision to Muldrow and suffered a 63-49 setback to the Cherokees of North Carolina at that event. The Cougars secured a 37-24 win over the Forth Gibson JV with a late run in the fourth quarter.

Ada is now 2-4 on the year, while Dickson dropped to 2-5.

The Ada-Dickson boys' game had far less drama, as the Cougars crushed the Comets 79-38. Ada, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, improved to 5-1 on the season. Dickson fell to 3-4.

Both Cougar clubs travel to Plainview on Saturday. The girls' game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. with the boys to follow at 4:30.

GIRLS

Ada 50, Dickson 46

The Lady Cougars found themselves in an early 11-3 hole but had trimmed that deficit to 11-8 heading into the second period. Ada outscored the Lady Comets 34-20 over the middle two frames and led by as many as 13 in the third period. Dickson was able to keep it close by ending the game on a 15-8 fourth-quarter run.

Makaviya Nelson led the Lady Cougars, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds and four steals. She hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Gracey Dotson had a big game in the paint for Ada with nine points. Sadie Epps and Rylynn Truett chipped in eight points each in the balanced Ada offense. Epps also had six rebounds and Truett grabbed four boards. Freshman Ava Campos scored six points, including a pair of big buckets in the fourth quarter.

Dickson's Cayman Pitman led all scorers with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She finished 10-of-16 from the free-throw line. Brilee Williams also reached double digits for the hosts with 11 points and sank a trio of 3-point shots. Emma Gore followed with nine points and made two triples. Dickson made nine total 3-pointers.

The Lady Cougars finished 15-of-23 (65.2%) from the free-throw line while Dickson was a cool 12-of-29 (41.4%) from the stripe.

BOYS

Ada 79, Dickson 39

Ada led just 16-13 after the first quarter but took off after that. The Cougars outscored the Comets 24-14 in the second period to build a 40-27 halftime edge. Ada put the game out of reach with a game-changing 22-4 surge in the third period.

"We knew they would come out with lots of energy and make some shots being at home. I thought all night we did a good job of defending and rebounding the basketball. We are working hard on that end of the floor and giving multiple efforts and that is what you want to see," said Ada head coach Kyle Caufield.

"Offensively, we are doing a good job of making open shots — especially the big momentum-swinging shots," he continued. "However, I believe we can be even better on the offensive end of the floor, especially in transition, as well as, moving the basketball better at times. Our energy from the guys on the floor to the guys on the bench has been great."

Keith Cook led the Ada offense with 16 points. He sank four 3-pointers and pulled down seven rebounds. Devon MacCollister followed with 13 points. He made three triples and also had six rebounds. Caron Richardson hit a 3-pointer and also reached double figures for Ada with 10 points. Carter Colombe and Deante Lindsay added eight points apiece. Colombe also had six rebounds.

A total of 12 AHS players reached the scoring column. Carter Kenley also had a 3-point basket for the locals.

The Ada defense forced 18 Dickson turnovers.

Merrick Gregory was the only DHS player to hit double figures with 11 points. Trey Summers and Pake Thomas chipped in six points each for the Comets.

Ada hit 10-of-16 free throws in the contest compared to a 12-of-17 showing by the home team.