North Adams’ Ava Pistole goes up for s shot in traffic during the Lady Devils’ 48-32 win over Lynchburg-Clay on December 4. Pistole scored 7 points in the victory. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Burns, Emma Pistole combine for 33 to lead North Adams
As it normally does, the North Adams defense caused havoc for their opponent. Here, Lady Devils’ Elizabeth Raines (15) and Tenzlee Bruns (10) double up on Lynchburg’s Joslyn Rockey. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
North Adams’ Emma Pistole (2) makes a strong move to the basket in the Lady Devils’ December 4 conference win over Lynchburg-Clay. Pistole scored 16 in the win, 8 in each half. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Sophomore Jaida Harrison (14) eludes Lynchburg defenders on her way to the basket as her North Adams squad downs the Lady Mustangs 48-32 to go 2-0 in conference play. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
An early season showdown between two of the top-ranked girls’ basketball teams in the big school division came to North Adams High School on December 4 as the host Lady Devils welcomed in the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs. The two teams were a contrast with the Lady Devils bringing to the court an abundance of size with the Lady Mustangs being a much smaller squad but making up for it in hustle and scrappy play.
The contest began as expected with the score staying close but it was a 15-0 North Adams run that began late in the first quarter and rolled over into the second that turned the tide in favor of the home team and gave them a lead they never relinquished as the Lady Devils picked up their second consecutive conference win, taking down the Lady Mustangs by a final score of 48-32.
“An ugly win is better than an ugly loss,” Said North Adams head coach Rob Davis after the win. “We had 15 turnovers in the first half (32 for the game) and again a lot of them were unforced and sometimes I just don’t get it. We knew everything we were supposed to do and a whole lot of that went right out the door. I thought (Jaida) Harrison played well on defense and gave us a lot of energy.”
‘This was a big win against a good team. They knocked off Eastern Brown and we still have to go to Lynchburg which is never an easy trip.”
A goal going into the game for Lynchburg was to keep the North Adams offense out of the post and Coach Whitney Lewis’s strategy worked in the early going. In fact, most of the early going could either be termed as a defensive struggle or an offensive struggle as 11 of the first 12 combined offensive possessions resulted in turnovers. The Lady Mustangs broke through with the game’s first two baskets before a step back three by freshman Tenzlee Burns got the home team on the board.
Lynchburg pushed their lead back out to 8-4 on a bucket from Savannah Bell and after a putback by the Lady Devils’ Sophia Barlow, the Lady Mustangs moved up 10-6 on a pair of Lily Ferguson free throws. A runner in the lane by Burns and a score by Emma Pistole cut the visitor’s lead to 12-10. A steal from the quick hands of Jaida Harrison resulted in a successful pair of charity tosses and period one ended in a 12 all deadlock.
The Lady Mustangs went ice cold from the field in the second stanza and the North Adams girls took full advantage, scoring the first 11 points to grab a double-digit advantage. The Lady Devils took their first lead at 14-12 on another Emma Pistole score, followed by another Burns triple, two more buckets in the paint from Emma Pistole and a pair of Ava Pistole free throws that made it 23-12. When the Lady Mustangs finally recovered from that run, they finished off the first half on a 6-0 run of their own, getting a long corner three-pointer from Addy Carraher, and the visitors had closed the gap by halftime to 23-18.
The story of the second half was obviously the Lady Mustangs playing come-from-behind and the Lady Devils holding them off. Offensive boards and scores from the Pistoles kept the home team in front 27-20 and when Burns found Emma Pistole near the basket with a nifty assist, North Adams led 29-22. The lead increased to eight when Jacee Davis nailed a three-pointer from the wing and remained there after putbacks by Burns and Ava Pistole, the third quarter ending at 37-29 North Adams.
Baskets by Burns and Emma Pistole opened the final period and extended the North Adams lead to 41-29 and after a score by Lynchburg’s Carraher, the same pair of Lady Devils combined again to give their team their biggest lead at 45-31 with 2:52 to play. North Adams closed out the win with free throws from Burns Elizabeth Raines, going 2-1 on the season with the eventual 16-point victory.
The winners placed a pair of players in double figures, paced by Tenzlee Burns with 17 and Emma Pistole right behind with 16. for Bruns it was a double-double from the point guard position as she also hauled in 10 rebounds. Ava Pistole scored 7 and topped the squad with 11 boards. On defense, Jaida Harrison led the way with 7 steals.
Lynchburg was led in scoring by Lily Ferguson’s 11 points.
The Lady Devils were back in action with two more conference games this week, both on the road, beginning with a trip to Manchester on Monday night and then a trip to Ripley on Thursday, December 11.
Box Score
Lynchburg
12 6 11 3 —32
North Adams
12 11 14 11 —48
Lynchburg (32): Ferguson 2 7-9 11, Bell 2 0-0 4, Rockey 1 2-2 4, McClain 3 0-0 6, McMullen 0 2-4 2, Carraher 2 0-0 5, Team 10 11-15 32.
North Adams (48): E. Pistole 8 0-1 16, Davis 1 0-0 3, Barlow 1 0-0 2, Burns 6 3-4 17, A. Pistole 2 3-4 7, Harrison 0 2-4 2, Raines 0 1-4 1, Team 18 9-17 48.
Three-Point Goals:
Lynchburg (1)- Carraher 1
North Adams (3)- Davis 1, Burns 2
