Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — For the fourth time in program history — and the first time since 2009 — North Adams is taking a district championship back to Seaman.
CREDIT: Heather Thompson/SOSA
Led by a superb all-around effort from junior Bransyn Copas, who was flanked by teammates Carson Osborne and Breestin Schweickart in the scoring column, the Devils (21-4) stunned top-seeded Minford with a 54-46 victory in a Division III district championship game on Sunday.
“We knew they had big dudes in there and that we had to go get bodies on them,” Bransyn Copas said of the Green Devils’ gameplan. “[Myles] Montgomery is a heck of a player, so we knew had to be on him at all times. Give credit to Jayce [Rothwell] and Cody Hesler, they did a great job on him tonight.”
Jackson Shoemaker started the night’s scoring with a triple at the 7:40 mark in the first quarter, putting Minford (22-2) ahead 3-0 in the opening seconds. Bennett Kayser followed that score with one of his own with 6:47 left, before Cody Hesler got NA on the board for a 5-2 count.
Shoemaker again dialed long distance with 6:08 left before NA’s Jayce Rothwell scored on a run-out basket with 3:54 remaining, making it 8-4.
After free throws on both ends, Minford’s Myles Montgomery ended the first with a drive to the bucket, putting the Falcons ahead 11-5.
Rothwell began the second with a step-through basket before NA’s Bransyn Copas logged a steal-and-score for an 11-9 ballgame. Minford’s Joe Hannah later made it an 13-10 tally with a put-back bucket, but Copas hit a 3 to force a tie with just over four minutes remaining.
Then, with 3:45 left, Copas hit another 3 to give the Devils their first lead of the night at 16-14.
Copas scored his eighth straight point at the three-minute mark before Montgomery nailed a triple for an 18-17 score.
That’s when Breestin Schweickart made his presence felt. The sophomore got a jumper to fall before scoring with just 1.3 seconds remaining, putting North Adams ahead 22-21 at the break.
“Breestin is a kid who could start, but I love his energy off the bench,” North Adams coach Nathan Copas said of Schweickart. “He’s got a lot of heart. I love the kid, he gives us a spark and just a little bit of attitude.”
Adam Crank put the Falcons back in front early in the third, Copas answered on the other end with a drive and score, and Montgomery nailed a pull-up with 6:47 left, making it 25-24.
NA’s Dillon Ragan scored with 5:42 remaining, producing another lead change, but Joe Hannah put Minford back ahead at 27-26 at the 4:25 mark. After a free throw from Minford’s Bailey White, Copas exploded to the bucket for a 28-28 game.
Seconds later, Carson Osborne followed suit to give the Devils a 30-28 edge before making it a 33-29 edge with a run-out 3-ball at the 1:54 mark.
But with momentum on North Adams’ bench, Shoemaker and Kayser jabbed back with consecutive buckets to force a 33-33 tie heading to the final eight minutes.
Hannah made an impact play just 16 seconds into the fourth, hitting a shot through contact before sinking the ensuing foul shot, before Osborne answered with his own 4-0 run, keeping the Devils in front at 37-36 with 6:13 remaining.
Copas extended that edge to 39-36 with 5:26 left, Osborne made it 41-36 at the 4:45 mark, and Schweickart dialed long distance with just over four minutes left, capping an 11-0 run and making it a 44-36 advantage.
“He [Schweickart] brings so much energy,” Bransyn Copas said of the sophomore. “It’s great to have a guy like that that comes off the bench and makes big plays.”
Minford didn’t go away.
Shoemaker hit two from the charity stripe and Kayser hit a jump shot from the left wing, cutting the deficit to 46-40 with 3:17 to play. And, following a bucket from Rothwell on the opposite end, Montgomery hit a deep 3 to make it 48-43.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, there simply wasn’t enough time left on the clock to complete the rally.
North Adams did enough down the stretch, from the free throw line and on the defensive end, to put away an eight-point victory.
Copas’ final statistics on the night included 20 points and six rebounds while Osborne added 13 points. Schweickart added seven points, nine boards and two assists while Rothwell also assisted with six points, five rebounds and five helpers.
Montgomery led Minford with 12 points while Shoemaker had 11 of his own. Kayser added seven points and 11 rebounds, and Hannah had seven points and six boards.
While Minford’s historic season reaches the end of the road, the Devils advance to meet with South Point — a 64-57 winner over Zane Trace on Sunday — in a Division III regional semifinal at 8 p.m., March 8 at Ohio University.
“At this stage of the game, it’s about taking care of the basketball, rebounding the basketball and hopefully doing a little better job of making free throws, ” Nathan Copas said of his team moving forward. “We just gotta come play, we gotta be ready, be dogs and play for 32 minutes.”
NOTE: SOSA will have additional details, photo and postgame video from the Devils’ district championship win later this evening.
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