Things looked dicey for the Ada boys after Madill’s Kéven Davis hit a 3-pointer with 3:03 left in the game to tie the score at 46-all. It was the 10th tie score of the game.

It didn’t look like the Cougars would be able to shake the upset-minded Wildcats.

But Madill’s shots stopped falling down the stretch and the Cougars finished the game with an impressive 12-2 run and defeated the Wildcats 58-48 in a Class 4A Area Tournament elimination game Thursday afternoon inside the Chickasha Activity Center.

“Like I told them, some of our games I feel like I had my head under water the whole time. Today, my head was underwater. It was just a straw sticking out,” Ada head coach Ron Anderson said following the game. “We played a little ugly, but you know what at this time and on this stage, it doesn’t matter as long as you advance.”

Madill led by five at 17-12 after Hunter Chapa hit a triple from the corner with six and a half minutes to go in the second quarter.

David Forbes started an 8-0 Ada run with a 3-pointer before Easton Pingleton took over. He scored on a strong baseline move and then hit a trey of his own to put the Cougars ahead 20-17.

The game then went back and forth from there and Chapa’s second 3-pointer of the quarter in the closing seconds knotted the score at 27-27 at the break.

“We had to crack a whip on them a little bit at halftime to get them to understand that this was all about effort. We were getting shots and contesting most everything. I just thought it was just a lack of effort,” Anderson said.

Ada, ranked No. 17 with a 17-10 record, stays alive to face the Tecumseh-Blanchard winner while Madill is finished at 16-8. The Cougars will either plays the fifth-ranked Savages for the fifth time this season or a 10th-ranked Blanchard club that is less than 20 miles away from the Chickasha gym.

“We’re going to play a good team tomorrow — Blanchard or Tecumseh — so we’re going to have to come with a lot more effort than that,” Anderson said.

Madill led by three on three different occasions in the third period and was still clinging to a 41-40 advantage heading into the final frame.

There were three lead changes early in the fourth quarter before Ada took control down the stretch. Ada’s final eight points came from the free-throw line where they finished 14-of-20 overall compared to 4-of-9 for Madill.

John Stout had 17 points for the Cougs to lead all scorers and also had five rebounds and six assists. Cory Kilby had an all-around solid outing with 14 points, eight rebounds two steals and three blocked shots.

Forbes also reached double figures with 11 points while Pingleton chimed in with nine points and six rebounds.

The Ada Cougars and Ada Lady Cougars will begin post-season play with District games at Dickson High School on Friday, February 15th.  The girls game will begin at 6:30 PM and the boys will follow at 8:00 PM. 

Ada High School will then host a Regional Sub-site game on Thursday, February 21st (opponents are to be determined).  The remaining Regional games will be played on February 22nd and 23rd at Newcastle High School.

So when the Cougars romped past the Buffaloes 66-42 with the greatest of ease Tuesday night inside the Cougar Activity Center — without senior point guard Easton Pingleton, who was off attending the 2013 Jim Thorpe Awards Banquet — Ada coach Ron Anderson was grinning ear to ear.

“I just think we came out with an energy we haven’t seen much all year long, and this is the perfect timing with the playoffs coming around,” Anderson said.

Ada improved to 12-8, while the Buffs left town at 4-15.

The Cougars gave McAlester a sign of things to come late in the first quarter, when super sophomore Cory Kilby earned his two points in impressive fashion. Kilby raced down the court on a fast break, caught a nice lob from teammate John Stout and hammered home a slam dunk that brought a loud cheer from the home crowd.

Forbes finished arguably the best overall game of his career with 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots, and he was an imposing force inside the lane for the Cougars.

But Ada’s biggest block of the game came at the hands of 5-foot-10-inch sharpshooter Walker Whitworth, who is far better known for his 3-point accuracy and his ball distribution skills than his defense. Whitworth stood his ground and blocked the shot of Durant’s Jalen Harris as time expired, preserving a thrilling 46-44 road victory for the Cougars.