Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SEAMAN — North Adams knows what its roster is capable of and knows what it isn’t capable of. That might be the team’s greatest strength.
The Green Devils aren’t an offensive juggernaut by any stretch. They rely mostly on ball movement, attacking in the paint and playing frustrating defense that takes an opponent out of rhythm.
That formula has worked 13 times this season and, after Thursday, NA pushed that number to 14.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
The Green Devils (14-5, 10-1 SHAC I) used a huge run in the third quarter and played stout defense throughout the second half to earn a 42-29 victory over Eastern Brown in conference action.
“The girls played really well, and we executed some things we wanted to. There’s still a lot we have to work on, but at the end of the day, the win is what we wanted,” North Adams coach Rob Davis said. “We didn’t go very deep since we’re dealing with some sickness, but everybody who took the floor stepped up and did their job in a big way. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The victory wraps up another SHAC I championship for the Green Devils — the program’s 11th conference title since 2012.
“It’s been a year of growth and growing pains. There have been times we play really well and times that we panic when we’re ahead to put stress on ourselves,” Davis said. “One of our goals was to win the league championship, so it’s definitely nice to check that off the list and it’s a program expectation. We don’t need any players to be the players like we had last year. Just be yourself and play your game, the rest will come into place.”
Eastern’s Vivian Grimes opened the game by scoring and assisting on the team’s first six points, putting the Warriors ahead 6-4 early. Alyssa Johnson added a pair of buckets later to keep them ahead 10-7 after the first eight minutes.
PHOTOS: Images from North Adams’ win over Eastern Brown
Despite each team committing five turnovers, Eastern Brown (14-6, 8-4 SHAC I) was getting to the bucket by making the extra pass and cutting to the rim.
However, North Adams was ready to counterpunch in the second.
Trailing 12-10, Karlie Kennedy connected from distance to put the Green Devils ahead for the first time. Emma Pistole followed with back-to-back buckets to complete a 7-0 run, pushing the lead to 17-12.
“She’s been playing really well over the past few weeks or so, and she’s been a huge part of this run we’ve been on recently,” Davis said of Pistole. “We have the ability to go a little bigger when she enters the game to have three post players and it makes things tough for the opposition to handle. She finishes really well around the rim and played such a great game tonight.”
Eastern’s Olivia Uhl and Tabby Schumacher combined for a 5-0 run to tie the game, but Katelynn Boerger scored underneath to give North Adams a 19-17 lead at the break.
Boerger provided a spark heading into halftime, and the Green Devils turned it into a full flame in the third. Boerger, alongside Kennedy and Ava McCann, combined to open the third on a 9-0 run, blowing the game open for a 28-17 lead.
From that moment forward, it was all Green Devils as the lead never dipped below seven points. They relied on their defense and active hands, ending the third ahead 30-23. That advantage grew to 38-25 before NA closed the door on a victory.
“We pushed the ball up the floor and got some easy buckets, but we also created some turnovers to gain some extra chances,” Davis said. “We’ve had some issues with committing turnovers, and although it wasn’t great tonight, it was better than it has been. A lot of the 50-50 balls in the second half we were able to get and that surely helped.”
Boerger finished with a game-high 13 points and seven rebounds for North Adams, while Pistole added 12 points and seven boards. Kennedy added 10 points as well.
For Eastern Brown, Sophia Uhl had eight points.
North Adams returns to action on Monday at home against Lynchburg-Clay, while Eastern Brown rebounds that same evening at Peebles.
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