By Mark Carpenter-
The final match up of the first night of play of the 2018 McDonald’s’ Holiday Classic saw two teams who have had very opposite season facing off with a berth in the Classic title game on the line. The North Adams Green Devils came into the Dec. 28 contest sporting a record of 6-1, while the Classic’s host team, the Manchester Greyhounds came in with a mark of 1-7. With that fact in mind, the Green Devils were a heavy favorite on Friday night and they lived up to that billing, leading wire-to-wire and rolling past the Greyhounds by a final score of 70-50.
The Devils placed three players in double figures- Jayden Hesler, Cameron Young, and Elijah Young, as they led from their first possession to the final buzzer in picking up their seventh win of the season and earning another trip to the Classic championship game.
“We shot the ball pretty well early, which is good because I though that we didn’t guard very well or rebound very well,” said North Adams head coach Nathan Copas. “That early shooting gave us a cushion and we kind of kept it in double figures most of the way.”
“We got a win, a conference win, but we have to be better the next time we step on the floor. We have some tough games coming up and we just can’t expect to show up and win.”
The Green Devils took control early, going up 7-4 when Elijah Young swished a long three-pointer out of the corner and then tossed in a nice runner in the lane. After a Dylan Colvin bucket brought the Hounds within one, Young drilled another three-pointer and the Devils got another three-point trip when Young hit the first of two free throws, then missed the second but the rebound was grabbed by Seth Meade who put it back up and in for a 13-6 North Adams advantage.
A basket by the Hounds’ Isaiah Scott was followed by a Cameron Young triple, and he repeated that performance less than a minute later as the Devils began to establish dominance, leading 22-14 after the first quarter.
Continuing to stretch their lead, the Devils opened the second period with a 7-0 run, capped off by another Elijah Young three-point goal. It took the Hounds two minutes into the second frame before they got on the board again with another bucket by Scott, but North Adams sophomore point guard Jayden Hesler scored his team’s next six points to pump the lead up to 35-18.
Cameron Young stayed red-hot as the first half wound down, nailing two more three-point shots in the final two minutes, as the Green Devils took a commanding 42-26 lead into the halftime break.
In the game’s third eight minute span, the Greyhounds showed some spunk, especially senior big man Jacob Calvert, who fired in four baskets in the third quarter and the Hounds also got a three-pointer from guard Kyle Reaves. Even with those performances, the North Adams lead remained in double digits as the Devils got a three from Cade Meade, and pairs of baskets from both Cody Rothwell and Austin McCormick to head into the fourth period with a 56-41 lead.
McCormick put points on the board in the first two North Adams possessions of the final quarter and after another Calvert score for the Hounds, Elijah Young fired in his fourth three-pointer of the game to make it 63-43. Not to be outdone, Cameron Young drained his fifth three of the contest to keep the lead over 20. Down the stretch, the Hounds got baskets from Scott and Colvin, but a pair of offensive rebounds and scores from Hesler and Cade Meade put the final finishing touches on a 70-50 North Adams semi-final victory.
Elijah Young continued his fine season and led the winners with 18 points, with Cameron Young adding 15, all from beyond the three-point arc. Jayden Hesler scored 12, with Austin McCormick pitching in with 9, while Cody Rothwell and Cade Meade getting 7 apiece. The Green Devils hit a total of 10 three-pointers in the game as they improved to 7-1 and 3-1 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference.
The Greyhounds also had three players in double figures, led by Jacob Calvert and Isaiah Scott,who both tossed in 12 points. Dylan Colvin scored 10 and Isaiah Redmon 9 for the Hounds who dropped to 1-8 on the year, 0-6 in conference play.
North Adams
22 20 14 14 —70
Manchester
14 12 15 9 —50
N. Adams (70): Hesler 5 2-2 12, C. Young 5 0-0 15, Rothwell 3 1-4 7, S. Meade 1 0-0 2, E. Young 6 2-4 18, C. Meade 3 0-0 7, McCormick 3 3-6 9, Team 26 10-16 70.
Manchester (50): Colvin 4 2-2 10, Redmon 2 4-4 9, Reaves 1 0-0 3, Ricketts 1 2-4 4, Scott 6 0-0 12, Calvert 5 2-2 12, Team 19 10-12 50.
Three-Point Goals:
N. Adams (10)- C. Young 5, E. Young 4, C. Meade 1
Manchester (2)- Redmon 1, Reaves 1
