The North Adams trio of (left to right), Madee Shipley, Grace McDowell, and Avery Harper surround the basket to control rebounding position in action from the Nov. 18 Foundation Game in Georgetown, won handily by the Lady Devils 77-28.

 

Four in double figures lead North Adams to 77-28 win in Foundation Game – 

By Mark Carpenter – 
Photo by Wade Linville – 

Coach Rob Davis and his North Adams Lady Devils are thought by many to be one of the strongest teams in southeast Ohio and they did nothing to dispel that notion last Saturday night when they traveled to Georgetown to face the Lady G-Men in the annual Foundation Game between the two schools. All of the proceeds from the games go to the Coaches Against Cancer Foundation.
While the Lady Devils are considered one of the area’s best squads, the Lady G-Men are in their first season without long-time and very successful coach Bernie Cropper, whose teams dominated the SBAAC until he was inexplicably dismissed earlier this year.
The difference between the talented and experienced North Adams team and the young Georgetown team was certainly evident last weekend as the Lady Devils placed four players in double figures on their way toa 77-28 rout of the home team.
“It’s been a long day,” said Coach Davis in a postgame radio interview. “I thought we played really well tonight. I knew there were plenty of people here scouting us so we ran some set plays, but didn’t want to show too much.”
“We had a big crowd here supporting us, which is always good.”
The Lady G-Men had no answer early for North Adams’ Avery Harper, a recent signee with Rio Grande. Harper racked up 13 points in the opening period, as the Foundation Games are set up just as a regular season contest with the four eight-minute periods. When that first eight minute span ended, the Lady Devils had already posted an insurmountable 22-5 advantage.
The onslaught continued in the second stanza as a Madee Shipley three began a 7-0 North Adams run to start the quarter. After a basket by Georgetown halted the run, the Lady Devils answered with eight straight, including two baskets by Lakyn Hupp, to extend the margin to 37-7.
A three-point play by Avery Harper and then a three-point shot by her sister Delaney, plus a bucket by freshman Wylie Shipley sent the visitors to the halftime intermission on top 48-16.
After the break, Coach Davis slowed down the pace, dialing back the patented North Adams pressure and spending the second half with his troops camped in a basic 2-3 zone. With the Lady Devils on top 55-19 after a bucket by Alaina Eiterman, the Lady G-men experienced the high point of their night, a 7-0 run that cut the gap to only 55-26, but a pair of offensive rebounds and baskets by Madee Shipley and Delaney Harper kept North Adams comfortably in front 61-26 after three.
To put the finishing touches on an impressive performance, the Lady Devils finished the game on a 14-0 run, getting two more buckets from Hupp and another from Taylor Hesler as they finished off the 77-28 exhibition victory
It had been a long day for the North Adams squad as they had boarded a bus at 7:45 a.m. that morning for a scrimmage, before traveling to Georgetown that evening for the Foundation Game. That didn’t seem to hinder their play however, as they put a quarter of players in double figures for the night, led by 26 points from Avery Harper. Lakyn Hupp added 17, with Madee Shipley scoring 11 and Delaney Harper 10. Avery Harper made it a double-double performance as she also hauled down 10 rebounds. The victorious Lady Devils were also very unselfish with the ball, getting 6 assists from Taylor Hesler and 5 from Grace McDowell.
The North Adams defense also held the Lady G-Men to just seven field goals in the entire game.
“I was able to go deep in the bench tonight,” said Davis. “That gave us some minutes for our underclassmen that will be important in the long run.”
Georgetown was led by 8 points from Kennedy Underwood.
The Lady Devils have spent the week preparing for a much tougher test this weekend as they open their regular season at home on Saturday, Nov. 25. North Adams will host Miami Trace, a team that was part of the Division II Final Four last season. The JV game is set for tip off at 5:30 p.m.

North Adams
22 26 13 16 –77
Georgetown
5 11 10 2 –28

N. Adams (77): Hesler 1 0-0 2, W. Shipley 2 0-0 4, Hupp 8 1-2 17, M.Shipley 4 1-2 11, McDowell 0 4-4 4, Eiterman 1 1-2 3, D. Harper 3 3-5 10, A. Harper 9 6-8 26, Team 28 16-23 77.
Georgetown (28): Seigla 1 2-2 5, Benjamin 1 4-5 6, McHenry 1 0-0 2, Moore 1 0-0 2, Carter 1 3-4 5, Underwood 2 4-6 8, Team 7 13-17 28.
Three-Point Goals:
N. Adams (5): A. Harper 2, D. Harper 1, M. Shipley 2
Georgetown (1): Seigla 1