North Adams sophomore Carson Davis put up a career-high 29 points as the Green Devils upended Manchester 59-54 in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action.(Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Davis scores 29 in North Adams win
Manchester’s Parker Hayslip was called for the offensive foul on this play but he did lead the Greyhounds with 23 points in their December 16 home loss to North Adams. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
A driving Jesse Kennedy (0) from North Adams was fouled on this play by Manchester’s Luke Applegate (20) in action as the two teams battled in conference play on December 16. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Manchester’s Elijah Crabtree hauls in one of his five rebounds in the Greyhounds’ home loss last week to North Adams. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Southern Hills Athletic Conference boys basketball, county rivalry style, came to Manchester High School on December 16 as the Greyhounds welcomed in the North Adams Green Devils. Any sporting contest between county squads is intense and this one was no exception as the two sides tossed momentum swings back and forth for 32 minutes. The contest was highlighted by an exciting fourth quarter which saw the home team rally from behind but fall just short, as Coach Austin McCormick and the Green Devils escaped with a 59-54 victory.
“Manchester is a very good ball club and they really got going there in the second half,” said Coach McCormick in his c103 postgame talk. ” We were able to battle back and hang tough facing some adversity. I’m proud of our guys, it was a gutsy win. It’s always good to get a road victory in the SHAC, which is not always easy to do.”
The visiting Green Devils jumped out quick, a Thaddeus Moore giving them a 7-0 lead with 6:30 left in the opening quarter. But the Devils would not score again for that six and a half minutes as the Greyhounds ran off 10 straight to claim the advantage. Parker Hayslip got the Hounds started with a three-ball from the left wing, followed up by baskets by Braylon Rickett and Elijah Crabtree. Two more baskets from Hayslip closed the opening period with a 10-7 lead for the home team.
As the scoreboard flipped into the second stanza, the light bulb came back on for the Green Devils as they opened with a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead. North Adams got scores from Dalton Pence, Carson Davis, Moore and Jesse Kennedy to move in front 17-10. The Manchester drought ended with a Crabtree bucket, but the Devils came right back with a 9-3 run to go up 21-12. The Hounds got a three-pointer from Luke Applegate, immediately matched by North Adams’ Colin Tolle from long distance.
The Geren Devils expanded their lead to 15 at halftime (32-17) as the second quarter ended with a Kennedy three-point play and a Davis triple at the buzzer.
The halftime respite may have re-energized the home team as the Greyhounds began the third quarter on a 9-3 run to pull back within 35-26. North Adams slowed the run with a three-pointer from Preston Call that turned into the rare four-point play when Call was fouled and converted the free toss. Manchester answered with a three-ball from Hayslip as the action and pace began to pick up considerably.
The Greyhounds continued to claw back into the game as the third quarter progressed, led by senior Luke Applegate’ scoring. Applegate scored seven straight Manchester points, including a late three-point play that helped the Hounds close out a 23-point third quarter and creep with 45-40 after three.
A new buzz came over the home team’s side of the gym as the final period began, especially when a Hayslip three-pointer and a nice 15-foot jumper cut the North Adams lead to 49-47 with 3:35 to play. A three-point play from Davis gave the Devils a little breathing room and after a Crabtree bucket for the Hounds, the visitors got a basket from Moore, and two free throws each from Davis and Moore to open the lead back up to 58-49 with just 36.8 ticks left on the clock.
The resilient Gryhounds got a bucket by Rickett and another Hayslip three-pointer but literally ran out of time. A free throw with five seconds left by Kennedy was the final change on the scoreboard as the Devils survived with a hard-fought 59-54 victory.
Sophomore Carson Davis had a career night for North Adams in the win, scoring 29 points, going 10 for 13 from the free throw line. Davis was joined in double figures by teammate Jesse Kennedy, who tallied 11 points, adding three assists and three steals.
Parker Hayslip’s 23 points led the Greyhounds with 23 points, joined in double figures by Luke Applegate with 13.
Both teams were in action later in the week with the Green Devils (4-2, 3-2) splitting a pair of conference games over the weekend, defeating Ripley 70-42 on the road Friday night and dropping a 54-36 decision to Lynchburg-Clay on Saturday.
The Greyhounds (3-4, 1-2) were in non-conference action on Friday night, defeating the Green Bobcats 76-58.
Box Score
North Adams
7 25 13 14 —59
Manchester
10 7 23 14 —54
N. Adams (59): Kennedy 3 5-7 11, Eldridge 0 0-2 0, Call 1 1-1 4, Moore 3 1-2 8, Pence 1 0-2 2, Tolle 2 0-0 5, Davis 10 10-13 29, Team 20 17-27 59.
Manchester (54): Hayslip 8 2-3 23, Doyle 1 0-0 2, Rickett 4 0-0 8, Applegate 4 4-5 13, Crabtree 4 0-0 8, 21 608 54.
Three-Point Goals
N. Adams (4)- Call 1, Moore 1, Davis 1, Tolle 1
Manchester (6)- Hayslip 5, Applegate 1
