Marion Local routs Ada

WAPAKONETA– The Marion Local Flyers are quite possibly the best team that Ada has matched up with in a long time. If the Bulldogs weren't already thinking it going into Friday's district final contest, the thought was quickly inserted into their heads. Marion Local jumped on the Bulldogs from the opening tip, using their large advantage in the size and strength department to outclass Ada inside, and roll to a 52-23 win in Wapakoneta.The Flyers started the game with a miss, before converting their first look inside to take a 2-0 lead. Ada senior Kayleb Hickman converted a layup through contact on the following play, tying things at 2 apiece. The Flyers then went on a 6-0 run, with all three baskets coming from the interior. Senior Zack Zimmerman knocked down a 3-pointer to stop the Flyer run, but Marion Local responded with a 3 of its own as the first quarter came to a close with the Flyers ahead, 11-5. "We knew we probably didn't match up with them real well," Bulldogs coach Chris Sautter said. "So, that's why we went zone, which is not something we typically do. I thought we made them take some tough shots. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get defensive rebounds. They probably had six, eight points early, just off offensive rebounds."Marion Local notched a 13-2 stretch to begin the second quarter, as things started to get out of reach for the Bulldogs. From the second quarter on, it was all Flyers. "They made it tough for us at the offensive end," Sautter continued. "Every time you go to drive, you're looking at six-three, six-four, six-five, standing in there. If you've got length, that's something that you can't really teach or coach. But, you take advantage of that length when you've got it. Coach (Kurt) Goettemoeller does a great job with them."Marion Local went into halftime ahead 26-13 and didn't look back. The Flyers continued to extend their big lead, reaching a 24-point advantage as the third came to a close. The Bulldogs did have an outstanding defensive stretch in the third, preventing the Flyers from scoring in the final 2:20 of the quarter, but the scoreboard still read 40-16 as the fourth quarter began. The Flyers went on an 8-0 run in the fourth, as their lead crossed the 30-point mark with 2:45 remaining. Friday's victory was Marion Local's 11th in a row, and moved it to 23-1 on the year. Brayden Mescher paced the Flyers with 13 points. Kale Ahrens also ended up in double figures, scoring 10 points. Isaac Moeller and Grant Kremer each netted a pair of threes, finishing with six points apiece. Brennen Hess also recorded six. Zimmerman once again led Ada in the points department, using his inside prowess for 13 of the Bulldogs' 23 points. He went over 1,000 career points with a basket in the fourth quarter. Zimmerman also reminded spectators of his range, knocking down a triple in the first quarter and coming close on several more through the game. His double-sided game was a key for the Bulldogs in their run to the district final. "He's been really super aggressive these last six or seven games," Sautter said. "There's been times where I've thought he just kinda put the team on his back, like Wednesday night against (Allen East).""Everybody's kind of always known he could shoot, well, now he can drive," Sautter added. "Now, he's putting the team on his back and being the leader for the team. Wish we had him for another year or two, it'd be nice."Hickman scored five for Ada, converting two difficult layups inside against much bigger defenders. Junior guard Carson Conley added three points. "I thought the kids played hard," Sautter said. "I told them, you're setting good examples for the community, for the kids. I mean, there's been a lot of neat things going on around school. Everybody's excited about it, which is why you hate to see it end. They haven't had this chance to be excited about basketball in a while, it was really nice to see the support of the school. I think the kids, you know, they're disappointed. But, they're proud of what they accomplished. Everybody is. The school, the community, everybody's real proud of what they've done, and we're definitely going to miss those seniors."The Bulldogs bow out with a final record of 17-8. ADA Zimmerman 6-0–13, Hickman 2-1–5, Conley 1-1–3, Allen 1-0–2. TOTALS: 10-2–23.MARION LOCALMescher 6-1–13, Ahrens 5-0–10, Hess 3-0–6, Moeller 2-0–6, Kremer 2-0–6, Everman 2-0–5, Schweiterman 2-0–4. TOTALS: 23-1–52. Ada 5 8 3 7–23Marion Local 11 15 14 12–52THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS: Ada 1 (Zimmerman 1); Marion Local 5 (Moeller, Kremer 2).