By Mark Carpenter
Sometimes good JV basketball teams fly under the radar, overshadowed by their varsity counterparts. That might be the case this season for Coach Rob Meade and his JV North Adams Green Devils.
Meade, who coached his 600th game as an assistant earlier this season, has led his squad to a 9-3 mark thus far in the 2020-21 season, with the latest two victories being a double overtime win over Georgetown on Jan. 16, and then a double-digit win over Southeastern on Jan. 19.
In the Georgetown contest, the Devils fell behind 12-5 after the first quarter and trailed 23-14 at the halftime break. The comeback began in third quarter as North Adams outscored the G-Men 15-8 to cut the deficit to 31-29, setting up an exciting final six minutes plus.
A pair of fourth quarter three-pointers by Caleb Rothwell and a basket by Cody Hesler propelled the Devils into a 37-37 tie at the end of regulation and nothing was decided after one three-minute overtime period as each side managed just four points.
In the second overtime, it was the heroics of Christopher Young that eventually led North Adams to victory. With his team trailing 43-41, Young scored the game’s last five points, two jumpers from the field plus a free throw as the Devils held off the G-Men for a 46-43 triumph.
Rothwell led the Devils with 17 points, joined in double figures by Young with 12, with Hesler adding 8.
North Adams Scoring: Allen 2, C. Hesler 8, Young 12, Rothwell 17, Buttelwerth 2, Ragan 5
In the Tuesday night win over Southeastern, led at every stop, 8-6, 19-8, 23-16, and then finally 36-26.
Rothwell and Kamden Buttelwerth led North Adams scorers with 10 apiece as they picked up their ninth won of the season.
North Adams Scoring: Brown 2, C. Hesler 4, Young 2, Rothwell 10, Martin 2, Buttelwerth 10, Anderson 4, Ragan 2