Ada girls capture 5A Regional crown
Apr. 27—All five Ada golfers finished in the Top 11 en route to the Lady Cougars capturing the Class 5A Regional championship Wednesday at the Oak Hills Golf & Country Club.
Ada fired off a team score of 350, four strikes better than Carl Albert, who was runner-up at 354. Old rival Durant was a distant third at 368. Claremore finished fourth with a 398 and Blanchard followed at 420.
It was the third consecutive regional crown for the Ada girls but the first time in school history, the team won the title while competing in Class 5A. Ada is the smallest of 40 schools competing in Class 5A this spring.
"What a great day for Lady Cougar golf. We battled all day long," Ada head coach Ron Anderson told The Ada News. "Everyone improved at the right time."
It was one of the best outings by the Lady Cougars the entire spring.
"Without a doubt, our knowledge of the course was a big factor in our scores," Anderson said. "Joining Class 5A this year and competing against larger schools make this feat even more special."
Ada freshman Dani McTague led the team with a season-low score of 82. That was good enough for third place in the medalist race.
Carl Albert's Miah Luong won the medalist race after carding a 5-over 77 on the Oak Hills course. Chloe Henderson of Durant was a stroke behind with a 78. Hadley Abraham of Claremore was fourth with an 84 and Ada's London Wilson bounced back from a tough start to finish fifth with an 87.
"Dani was on fire, and she just continues to get better not just with every tournament. Every day I see improvement," Anderson said. "London's rough start did not get in the way of her focus. Both Dani and London put a lot of hours in on the course and it shows in their scores."
Ada's Bella Stowers finished in a tie for ninth place with an 89 and both Ava Manwell and Brooklyn Black were next with identical 92 scores.
"Ava, Brooklyn and Bella also played well but were also very smart with their shot selections," Anderson said.
Anderson said the Oak Hills staff had the course in great condition.
"The Oak Hills Course was in outstanding shape for this time of year," he said. "The grounds crew put in extra time to get the course in tournament condition."
The Lady Cougars will leave Sunday morning for the Class 5A State Tournament, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at the Muskogee Golf and Country Club. Ada will get in a practice round on Sunday.
Anderson said Bishop McGuinness is probably considered the favorite to win the 5A state title, a team Ada is certainly familiar with. Ada edged the Fighting Irish by two strokes to win a Class 4A State title last year. Bishop McGuinness is led by the sister combination of Allie and Abbie Justiz.
"Two years ago, we entered as a spoiler and finished runner-up. Last year we entered as one of the favorites and we won it all. This year, I think the door is wide open with as many as five teams that could win state," Anderson said.
The entire state tournament field includes Ada, Altus, Bishop McGinness, Blanchard, Carl Albert, Claremore, Collinsville, Duncan, Durant, El Reno, Guthrie, and Lawton McArthur.
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GIRLS
Wednesday, April 24
Class 5A Regional
At Oak Hills Golf & Country Club
Team Standings
1. Ada 350
2. Carl Albert 354
3. Durant 368
4. Claremore 398
5. Blanchard 420
6. Collinsville 427
7. McAlester 430
8. Muskogee 430
9. Ardmore 431
10. Pryor 452
Top 10 Individuals
1. Miah Luong (Carl Albert) 77
2. Chloe Henderson (Durant) 78
3. Dani McTague (Ada) 82
4. Hadley Abraham (Claremore) 84
5. London Wilson (Ada) 87
(tie) Hallee Sumner (Sapulpa) 87
7. Emily Shelton (McAlester) 88
(tie) Peyton Black (Carl Albert) 88
9. Bella Stowers (Ada) 89
(tie) Joslyn Harbin (Durant) 89
Ada Individual Results
London Wilson 87
Ava Manwell 92
Brooklyn Black 92
Dani McTague 82
Bella Stowers 89
