Using one arm to fend off a Miami Trace defender, North Adams’ Marah Call (12) brings the ball towards the front court in action from last Saturday night’s JV girls game, won by the Lady Devils 35-23.

By Mark Carpenter – 

The 2017-18 season got off to a successful start for Coach Tony Williams and his North Adams Lady Devils JV basketball squad on Saturday night as they opened their regular season with a 35-23 win over the visiting Miami Trace Lady Panthers.
The Lady Devils jumped to an early lead and never looked back, getting a big effort in the opening period from sophomore point guard Mary Sonner, who will be splitting time this season between the JV and varsity squads. Sonner racked up 10 first quarter points, including a long three-pointer at the buzzer that gave the home team a 16-2 advantage after the first six minutes.
With two second quarter baskets by Faith Howell, North Adams held on to that same margin, taking a 22-8 advantage to the intermission. After the break, it was a five-point third period from Alaina Eiterman combined with another bucket from Howell that kept the Lady Devils in front 29-10 after three.
The Lady Panthers made a small run in the final six minutes, but had already dug a hole too deep to overcome. A three-pointer by Carolyn Shupert helped put the finishing touches on a 35-23 win for the North Adams girls.
Sonner’s 10 points led the Lady Devils in the win, followed by Howell with 8 and Eiterman with 7. Cortney Brown hauled down 7 rebounds to lead the team, with Eiterman grabbing 6. Wylie Shipley contributed 3 steals, with Karissa Buttelwerth dishing out 3 assists.
Gracey Steward led Miami Trace with 10 points.
“I was pleased with our intensity from the start,” said Coach Williams. “We did a nice job of getting the ball out in transition and our post players worked hard inside all night getting good position and rebounding on both ends. We need to continue to work on finishing plays inside and being able to run our halfcourt offense consistently.”

Miami Trace
2 6 2 13 –23
North Adams
16 6 7 6 –35

M. Trace (23): Barton 1 0-0 2, Bloom 1 0-0 2, Little 1 1-2 3, Wood 2 2-2 6, Steward 2 5-6 10, Team 7 8-10 23.
N. Adams (35): Sonner 4 0-1 10, Robinson 1 0-0 2, Buttelwerth 1 0-0 2, Call 0 1-2 1, Eiterman 1 5-6 7, Brown 0 2-2 2, Howell 4 0-0 8, Shupert 1 0-0 3, Team 12 8-11 35.
Three-Point Goals:
M. Trace (1): Steward 1
N. Adams (3): Sonner 2, Shupert 1