Bulldogs oust Blue Devils with strong defensive effort

CAREY – They say defense wins championships. In this case, it was a sectional crown. The Ada Bulldogs captured a 67-42 first-round victory over the Carey Blue Devils on the road Friday, and they did it with staunch defense from the opening whistle.The Bulldogs notched four steals in the first several minutes, jumping out to a 7-2 start. Ada junior Carson Conley scored seven of the team's first 10 points, using his unique blend of quickness and strength to take advantage on both sides of the floor. A three-point buzzer beater to end the opening quarter was all the more evidence that the Bulldogs were feeling it on Friday night, as they took a 17-9 lead going into quarter number two. "We just wanted to get up into them fast and early," Ada senior guard Kayleb Hickman said. "Make shots, and play as hard as we can on the defensive side of the floor, and turn it into our offense."The second quarter saw more Ada domination, as the Bulldogs converted a tough layup through contact for the quarter's first points. The Bulldogs grew their lead to 10 points, ahead 23-13, about halfway through the quarter. That lead grew to 11 at the half, as Ada took a 28-17 advantage into the break on the back of 11 points from Conley. "When we guard, we're pretty good offensively," Bulldogs coach Chris Sautter said. "We were able to get out and get some transition buckets. Zack (Zimmerman) shot the ball real well tonight, which was good. I think that first bucket right outta the get, you know, go up 2-0, it got them excited, amped up. They were ready to go."The Bulldogs came roaring out of the gate to begin the second half, hitting triple after triple to grow their lead, and continuing their strong defensive campaign. Ada outscored the Blue Devils 22-9 in the third, as its season ballooned to a 50-26 advantage headed into the fourth.Carey managed some tough shots in the fourth, but was ultimately unable to make a legitimate dent in Ada's lead. Ada still put up 17 in the fourth, as the Bulldogs left Carey with a 25-point win."They kind of out-hustled us," Carey coach Zack Bame said. "They out-rebounded us, which doesn't happen very often with us. They were more physical than we were."Zimmerman led the Bulldogs with 25 points, doing the majority of his work from beyond the three-point line. Conley, Gavin Oldfield, and Blake Zoladz all ended in double figures as well. The Blue Devils were led by senior Kyler Boes, who scored 12 points. "We knew coming in that they were pretty athletic, and they could take people off the dribble," Bame said. "They played really well defensively, and we had a hard time."Carey's season ends with a 13-10 record. Following a 12-2 season in the N10, the Blue Devils will have some important shoes to fill for next season. Carey will be losing Stone, Boes, and key rotational players Carter Bame and Chase Mullholand. "I went through Carter, Mo (Chase Mullholand), Chase Stone, and Kyler – I said, 'You guys all added your special niche to this team. That's hard to replace.'"