John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE – It may have taken North Adams until after halftime to wake up, but once that happened, the Devils announced their presence with authority on Wednesday.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
After trailing 26-24 at halftime, North Adams held Miami Trace to 0-of-14 shooting in the third quarter while outscoring the Panthers 18-1 to blow open a tight game and pave the way to a 52-41 non-league victory.
Both teams entered the contest on a hot streak with the Green Devils entering play unbeaten in 11 starts while the Panthers had claimed six consecutive wins.
In essence, something had to give once the ball was tipped.
In the opening five minutes, the Panthers edged out in front.
Hillery Jacobs scored inside and outside, hitting a triple with just over three minutes left in the quarter to give MT a 9-4 lead in the opening moments.
North Adams had gotten all four of its points in the interior from Katelyn Boerger. But when Jacobs won a loose ball with 2:55 remaining in the first and called timeout to maintain possession, the script flipped.
During that timeout, North Adams coach Rob Davis challenged his team and they answered the bell immediately.
The Green Devils forced a turnover on the inbounds pass, leading to a tough basket from Kenlie Jones before a three-point play from Keetyn Hupp tied the game at 9-9. A layup from Mallory Lovett gave the Panthers a short-lived lead before North Adams forced an 11-11 tie after one quarter on a 15-foot jumper from Brea Stout.
It felt as though both teams got loose to begin the second while scoring came a bit easier for both squads.
Miami Trace’s Kaelin Pfeifer got a pair of hustle baskets, and was joined by scores from Lovett and Jessee Stewart. The Green Devils responded with scores from Laney Ruckel and Hupp.
With the teams trading leads, neither could expand their advantage — at least until Jacobs netted her second triple of the half with 3:32 remaining in the second.
Jacobs’ trey began a 9-2 run for the Panthers that nearly carried into the locker room.
That was until Ruckel passed to an open Harlee Brand at the top of the key, where the junior scorched the net to cut the Panthers’ lead to 26-24 at the break.
The Green Devils burst out of the locker room with renewed energy and focus, playing their three-quarter court pressure to perfection and forcing either turnovers or quick shots.
“We’ve been doing well on coming out strong,” Hupp said. “But today, we came out a little slower. It was a long break and we had to get back in the swing of it. But [Davis] preached effort very heavily. We knew we had to come out and play hard.”
PHOTOS: Images from North Adams’ win over Miami Trace
Miami Trace began the half 0-of-5 from the floor before calling a timeout with 5:14 left in the third and trailing by two.
Following the timeout, the Green Devils really started to pull away with Hupp drilling a beautiful stepback 3 before getting a steal and a layup immediately after. Karlee Kennedy, Tatum Grooms and Taylor Shelton got into the scoring act for North Adams, with a trey from Shelton closing out a dominant 18-1 third quarter for NA.
In that pivotal third quarter, the Panthers were 0-of-14 from the field and had seven turnovers. Their only point came off of a free throw from Nevaeh Lyons with less than a minute left.
North Adams would get an early basket in the fourth from McKenna Shelton, giving them a 44-27 lead. Shelton’s basket also meant that all ten Green Devils in uniform entered the scoring column, giving North Adams a distinct advantage with their bench depth.
“It’s extremely important for us,” Ruckel said, when asked about the team’s depth. It’s dangerous, almost, where other teams know we can have everybody come in and score. Everyone can come in and do something. It makes a team like us harder to guard and harder to play against.”
Overall, the Green Devils’ bench outscored the Panthers bench by a 22-1 margin.
Miami Trace battled throughout the final quarter, getting back-to-back triples from Stewart, which cut the Devils’ lead to eight. But they would never get any closer.
Hupp led all scorers on the evening with 19 points alongside six rebounds and four assists. No other Green Devil scored more than five points, but all ten players scored and seven were credited with at least one assist.
“I went earlier today and shot just because my shot has been a little off,” Hupp said. “I know I’m the shooter for our team and I try to be a leader. Scorers are leaders and I want to be able to do that for my team so we can be successful.”
Jacobs led the Panthers with 18 points while Stewart also joined her in double figures with 10 of her own. Pfeifer also chipped in, scoring six points alongside seven rebounds and two helpers.
North Adams is back in action on Monday at Whiteoak while the Panthers attempt to get back on track on Saturday at McClain.
“We need to start focusing more on not getting too comfortable with where we’re at,” Hupp said. “We need to make sure we’re still pushing to be the best we can be to keep this streak going.”
BOX SCORE
North Adams: 11-13-18-10 — 52
Miami Trace: 11-15-1-14 — 41
North Adams: 20-56 FG, 8-14 FT, 4-21 3pt., 29 rebounds (Ruckel 7), 14 turnovers, 15 assists (Ruckel 4, Hupp 4). Scoring: Hupp 19, Ruckel 5, Brand 5, Boerger 5, Kennedy 5, Grooms 4, T. Shelton 3, Jones 2, Stout 2, M. Shelton 2.
Miami Trace: 17-45 FG, 3-5 FT, 4-13 3pt., 30 rebounds (Pfeifer 7), 27 turnovers, 7 assists (Jacobs 2, Pfeifer 2). Scoring: Jacobs 18, Stewart 10, Pfeifer 6, Lovett 6, Lyons 1.
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