By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
After capturing a pair of Division V district tournament victories, Coach Rob Davis and his North Adams Lady Devils knew the task in front of them as they moved into another district championship game- another uphill climb. After falling in last season’s district finals to perennial power Fairland, all the Lady Devils had to do this season to won a district title was get past the Division V defending state champion Portsmouth Lady Trojans.
Though there was some early optimism, the Portsmouth hill proved too hard to climb for the Lady Devils as the swarming defense and speed of the Lady Trojans proved to be the difference as Coach Davis and his squad saw their season come to a close in a 55-32 defeat, as Portsmouth continued their quest to repeat with its third consecutive district title.
“We did our game plan but we gave them too many second and third shots,” said Coach Davis after his 26th season at the helm came to an end. “I was proud of our kids, we just have to keep doing the little things.”
The Lady Devils only led two times in the entire game, 2-0 and 4-2, the baskets coming from the Pistole sisters, Emma and Ava. A free throw from Emma Pistole tied the game at 5 before the Lady Trojans scored four to go up 9-5. The first quarter ended with a Sophia Barlow short jumper and at the end of the first period, the Lady Devils were right there, trailing just 9-7.
That optimism didn’t last long as Portsmouth’s Keke Woods, perhaps the fastest player in southern Ohio, got two easy buckets ahead of the pack in a 6-0 lightning quick run that gave the Lady Trojans a 15-7 advantage. With 2:47 left in the first half, the Lady Devils were still within striking distance after a pair of Emma Pistole free throws at 19-13, but Portsmouth ended the half on a game-changing 8-0 run sparked by back to back three-pointers from sisters Sienna and Salem Allen and the complexion had changed as the Lady Trojans took a 28-13 halftime lead.
“You can’t relax when they are contesting every pass and double and triple teaming you,” said Coach Davis. “The Woods girl us just relentless and she just wears you down.”
You will never see a Rob Davis-coached quit playing hard at any point and as the second half began with the Lady Devils scoring five points on their first two possessions,a basket in the paint from Emma Pistole followed by a Jacee Davis three-pointer that made it 28018 and kept a faint glimmer alive for North Adams. That glimmer was quickly extinguished as the Lady Trojans tuned up the heat, forced some turnover, and went ton an 8-0 run to double up the Lady Devils at 36-18.
After a Barlow basket at the 4:45 mark, Portsmouth continued to pile on, getting a three-ball from Sienna Allen and consecutive steals and scores from Woods as their lead ballooned to 45-23. North Adams ended the third quarter with a rainbow three from Elizabeth Raines but still trailed 47-27 as the final period began.
Offensive struggles continued in the fourth period for the Lady Devils against a Portmouth “D” that sometimes looked like they had 15 players on the court. North Adams went scoreless for almost six minutes while the Lady Trojans added eight points to their lead, six of those coming from Woods. The final five points for the Lady Devils in their 2025-26 season came on a three-point play from Tenzlee Burns and a jumper from Raines that made the final 55-32 as Portsmouth moved to the Sweet a6 and a date in the regional semifinals with the Eastern Brown Lady Warriors.
Leading the Lady Trojans (20-4), junior Keke Woods put up one of the more impressive stat lines of the season, a near triple double of 24 points, 10 steals and 9 rebounds. Sienna Allen added 13 points with Hayven Carter adding 10.
The tradition of excellence continues for the Lady Devils as they ended their season at 19-6 and they were led in the district final by Emma Pistole’s 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Lady Devils’ fans still have a lot to look forward to as they have not a single senior on the roster and will run it back next season with the same group of girls.
“It was one of the easier end of season speeches for me,” added Coach Davis. “Usually I get pretty emotional with the seniors. We’ll work this summer and keep building on what we’ve got and it’s up to them to work at it. We always preach.’Don’t be average, be the best you can be.’ Watching the girls compete at this level is just great, it’s not easy getting here.”
Box Score
North Adams
7 6 14 5 —32
Portsmouth
9 19 19 8 —55
N. Adams (32): E. Pistole 3 5-6 11, Davis 1 0-0 3, Barlow 2 0-0 4, Burns 2 2-3 7, Gray 0 0-2 0, A. Pistole 1 0-0 2, Raines 2 0-1 5, Team 10 7-12 32.
Portsmouth (55): Sienna Allen 4 3-4 13, Salem Allen 1 0-0 3, Woods 9 5-6 24, carter 5 1-1 11, Mays 2 0-0 4, Team 21 9-11 55.
Three-Point Goals:
N. Adams (3)- Davis 1, Burns 1, Raines 1
Portsmouth (4)- Sianna Allen 2, Slaem Allen 1, Woods 1
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