Jan. 21—The streaking Ada High School girls basketball team ran into a giant speed bump Friday night inside the Cougar Activity Center.
Third-ranked Fort Gibson sprinted out of the gates and sped past the Lady Cougars 58-28.
The Lady Tigers improved to 11-2 on the year, while Ada saw its impressive seven-game winning streak come to a halt and fell to 7-5.
Ada head coach Christie Jennings was disappointed in her team’s performance, especially a slow start during which the Lady Cougars fell behind 15-0 to start the game.
“Fort Gibson is really good. But I did not think we came ready to play basketball tonight. As good as they are, I did not think we showed up,” Jennings told The Ada News.
“I’ve said since the beginning of the season, there’s gonna be lots of ups and downs with this young of a team. Our youth showed tonight,” she continued. “You cannot turn the basketball over like that and expect to have a chance against a good team. We’ve got to be better — plain and simple.”
Ada travels to Bishop McGuinness tonight before heading to the Jones Kiwanis Tournament on Thursday. The Lady Cougars are scheduled to face John Marshal at 6 p.m. in a first-round contest.
Fort Gibson 58, Ada 28
The Lady Tigers took a commanding 22-4 lead after the first quarter. After Ada’s Ava Campos sank a pair of free throws to begin the second period, Fort Gibson scored 10 unanswered points. Following a basket by FG playmaker Addisyn Whiteley, the Lady Cougars trailed 32-6 at the 3:13 mark of the second period.
Ada trailed 36-14 at halftime and went cold again in the third quarter. The hosts didn’t make a field goal during that frame and watched the Fort Gibson lead balloon to 52-17.
The Lady Cougars won the last quarter 11-6.
Ada turned the ball over 34 times and Fort Gibson ended up with 26 steals. The Lady Tigers finished with 23 turnovers.
Campos finished with eight points, three rebounds and two steals for Ada. Kennadee Bickerstaff followed with six points, including a 3-pointer, had three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Jadyce Burns hit Ada’s only other 3-point shot. Karsyn Woods led the Lady Cougars with five rebounds.
Whiteley — who will play college basketball at Northeastern State in Tahlequah — erupted for a game-high 20 points to lead the Lady Tigers. She made one 3-pointer and also had five rebounds and six steals. Laynee Standley — who has signed to play basketball at the University of North Texas — followed with 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Fort Gibson made 10 of 17 free throws, while Ada went 6 of 10 from the line.
Help is on the wayThe Ada High School girls basketball team is about to get a big boost in the form of returning senior Sania Richardson.
The talented guard played for the Lady Cougars during her freshman and sophomore campaigns before heading to Oklahoma City to play basketball and go to school at Grind Prep Academy. Richardson played her entire junior year at Grind Prep and the first semester of this year before returning to Ada High the week before Christmas.
Richardson practiced with the Lady Cougars throughout the holiday break and becomes eligible Thursday at the Jones tournament.
Richardson, who has signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, will provide immediate leadership for the Ada squad over the final two months of the season.
“I think she will make an immediate positive impact for many reasons — the biggest being experience Jennings said. “I think she adds a sense of calmness to our young guards and obviously she can score the basketball like very few can. I’m glad we have quite a few games left this season to get some chemistry built back up. I’m excited to see how it all shakes out with her in the lineup.”
Richardson is equally excited to get back on the floor with her AHS teammates.
“I think she is so glad to be back home. She has been in the middle of the student section during the boys games, she’s been doing announcements at school and has just been living to life of a high school kid,” Jennings said. “I think she’s really enjoying it. She has been a great leader on the bench for us the last few games.”
Richardson, who was recently named a 2025 Girls West McDonald’s All-American nominee, was the Ada News All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
