The difference in the North Adams-Peebles contest last week may have been the pressure defense of the Lady Devils that helped open up the game in the second half in a 56-34 North Adams victory. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
North Adams knocks off Peebles, Eastern Brown
Peebles freshman Amryn Carroll, right, looks for a path to the basket around North Adams defender Aly McCann. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Sailing across the lane, North Adams’ Karlie Kennedy gets off a shot attempt as the Lady Devils topped Peebles on December 12. Kennedy tallied 12 points in the conference win. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The beginning of the 2024-25 season had been a bit of a struggle for Coach Rob Davis and the North Adams Lady Devils, but a pair of victories last week may have righted the ship and pointed the squad in the right direction. The Lady Devils notched Southern Hills Athletic Conference wins over both Peebles and Easter, both on the road, and improved their overall mark to 4-2 for the season.
In the midst of a rare two-game losing streak, the North Adams girls traveled to Peebles on Thursday, December 12 to renew an always competitive Southern Hills Athletic Conference rivalry. The game was just like fans expected – physical at times, sloppy at times, and a defensive struggle, at least for a half. Holding just a one-point advantage at the half, the Lady Devils turned up the heat in the second half and outscored the Lady Indians 36-15 to pull away and claim an eventual 56-34 triumph.
“We had trouble with their pressure early but I thought our intensity picked up in the second half,” said Coach Davis after the win. “We knew that we wanted to dictate the game and we did in the second half. Karlie Kennedy stepped up and made some big shots and we pounded the ball inside better. Tatum Grooms just plays so hard and is our leader on the floor, making sure people are where they are supposed to be.”
After North Adams took the JV contest 44-24, the varsity squads ventured to the hardwood at PHS and the first quarter began with Peebles senior Abigail Smalley drilling a three-pointer on her team’s first possession. Though the Lady Devils were struggling to take care of the basketball, they still managed to take their first lead of the game at the 2:30 mark on a three-ball from Tatum Grooms. A following three-point play from Karlie Kennedy made it a 6-0 run and an 8-5 North Adams lead.
Peebles answered with a stickback from Kendall Myers and later forged a 9-9 tie on two free throws by Alyssa Smalley. Those free tosses began a 7-0 run for the Lady Indians to end the first period, capped by an Angel Gray basket that put the home side on top 14-9.
With an animated Coach Davis roaming the sidelines, his exhortations to his team’s defensive effort began to get through as the Lady Devils turned the game ugly, which thus far this season, seems to be their mantra. Not aiding the visitors’ cause was the fact that Katelynn Boerger picked up her second foul with 6:45 left in the half and was forced to the bench. North Adams opened the second stanza on a 9-2 run, a bucket by Emma Pistole with 3:10 remaining until halftime, giving them an 18-16 lead. Over that final three minutes plus, there were only a combined five points scored and the visitors took a slim 20-19 lead to the locker room.
In the third quarter after a Gray trey tied the game at 22 apiece, the Lady Devils rattled off the next six to grab the lead for good. Peebles stayed close with another Abigail Smalley three-ball, but North Adams answered with the same from Kennedy to lead 32-27. The Lady Devils closed out the third quarter with a 10-1 run that ended with a Jaida Harrison three-pointer and a double digit lead of 39-28 after three quarters of play.
The North Adams onslaught continued as the final quarter began, taking total command with a 13-0 run that included another Kennedy three, a steal and score from Grooms and an old-fashioned three-point play from Boerger. That put the Lady Devils up 54-31 with just over two minutes to play and though the Lady Indians got a late bucket from Ella Richards, it was North Adams going over the .500 mark with their third win of the year by the aforementioned final count of 56-34.
The victors placed a trio of players in double figures, led by 17 points from Katelynn Boerger, who overcame her foul trouble to post 12 of those in the second half. Tatum Grooms and Karlie Kennedy added 12 each to the North Adams cause, with Emma Pistole chipping in 8.
Peebles dropped to 2-5 on the season (1-2 SHAC) and was paced in scoring by Abigail Smalley’s 11 points with Kendall Myers adding 9. The Lady Indians were back in action on Monday, December 16, hosting Hillsboro in non-conference action then will be back in the conference on December 19, at home with the Fayetteville Lady Rockets.
On Saturday night, Coach Davis and his squad renewed another conference rivalry when they boarded the bus and crossed county lines for a match up with the Eastern Lady Warriors. Again, the contest was a classic battle between the pair of friendly rivals. The Lady Devils managed to build up a double digit fourth quarter advantage only to see Eastern rally to cut that to five in the final minutes, but the visitors held on down the stretch and posted the 54-46 victory, leaving them at 4-2 for the season, 3-1 in conference play.
The Lady Devils were also back in action on Monday night, traveling to Lynchburg to face the Lady Mustangs in SHAC action.
North Adams
9 11 19 17 — 56
Peebles
14 5 9 6 —34
N. Adams (56): Shelton 0 1-6 1, Grooms 4 3-6 12, Kennedy 3 4-5 12, Boerger 6 5-8 17, Emma Pistole 4 0-0 8, Davis 1 0-0 2, Harrison 1 1-2 4, Team 19 14-27 56.
Peebles (34): Alyssa Smalley 1 2-3 4, Richards 2 0-0 4, Shively 0 1-2 1, Abigail Smalley 4 0-0 11, Myers 3 3-9 9, Gray 2 0-2 5, Team 12 6-16 34.
Three-Point Goals:
N. Adams (4) – Grooms 1, Kennedy 2, Harrison 1
Peebles (4) – Abigail Smalley 3, Gray 1
