Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
JACKSON — Still electric, still ever-so-balanced, still unbeaten.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
With a familiar foe trying to put an end to North Adams’ perfect season, the Devils overcame early adversity to keep their loss column unblemished on Wednesday.
After heading to halftime facing a 20-18 deficit, North Adams (24-0) cleaned up its miscues to, eventually, pull away from Lynchburg-Clay by a 56-37 final in a Division III district semifinal.
“We went into halftime and the girls said, ‘We ain’t getting beat tonight.’ That’s what’s special about this group,” North Adams coach Rob Davis said. “Some teams may get down a little bit when they’re not playing well. But these girls don’t. They just keep battling.”
The sharpshooting Mustangs took their lead in the first half behind the 3-ball.
Macy Etienne buried a pair of triples and Jade Massey added one of her own, giving Lynchburg signs of hope after digging an early 6-0 hole.
However, the script flipped in the second half.
The Mustangs went cold, which was partly due to North Adams’ defensive pressure. The Devils guarded the perimeter well and it led to Lynchburg shooting 0-of-11 from beyond the arc in the third and fourth quarters.
“I told the girls that [Lynchburg-Clay] lives and dies by the 3-ball. I didn’t want one 3 in the second half,” Davis said. “So I told them, ‘They don’t make a 3 and we have to rebound better.’ They didn’t make a 3 in the second half and I thought we rebounded better and got in transition. I knew we could wear them down and that happened.”
Tale of the tape
Early on, it was all North Adams.
The Devils took a 6-0 lead behind scores from Harlee Brand, Keetyn Hupp and Laney Ruckel. Bryana Price finally got the Mustangs in the scoring column but Kenlie Jones answered that score with a 3 on the other end for a 9-2 advantage at the 3:14 mark in the first quarter.
Etienne scored before a free throw from Addison West and a putback from Ella Barry cut the deficit to 9-7. Hupp and Katelynn Boerger helped NA push the lead back to six at 13-7 before Etienne hit a triple, cutting the Devils’ lead to 13-10 after a quarter.
In the second, West scored before Etienne nailed another trey, putting Lynchburg in the lead at 15-13 and capping an 8-0 run. Hupp then scored through contact and hit the ensuing foul shot to put North Adams back in the lead but West scored twice to give LC a 20-18 lead at the break.
That’s when things changed.
After Davis had the chance to talk with his girls at halftime, stress was put on limiting good looks at the 3-point line. And whatever the veteran head coach said worked like a charm.
As Lynchburg went cold, North Adams started to heat up.
Brand tied the game to begin the third before Ruckel and Hupp added scores to put the Devils back ahead at 26-24 with 4:37 left in the third — a lead that was never relinquished.
By the end of the third, the Devils had a 32-29 lead and Tatum Grooms’ play off the bench was a big reason why. Grooms, who has spot-started over the course of the season, provided a spark and helped score, both in transition and in the half-court set.
“Tatum has been that way all year,” Davis said. “She could start for us anytime. She gives us energy off the bench and she’s been playing well towards the end of the year. She works at it.”
Jones, Hupp and Ruckel combined to score the fourth quarter’s first eight points before a bucket from Boerger capped a 13-0 run and provided the dagger. When Boerger scored, at the 5:17 mark, the Devils were the owners of a comfortable 42-29 advantage.
From there, it was smooth sailing as NA sealed shut its 24th victory in its 24th try this winter.
“It’s been special this year,” Davis said. “I knew we’d be OK, but we got a late start because of soccer and volleyball going deep [in tournament runs]. We had two practices and then we scrimmaged Fairland, and it was a massacre. And I didn’t know how deep we’d be with no JV team this year. But we have togetherness. These guys have such a bond. They’re always together.”
Stat book
Hupp led all scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Ruckel added 13 points and six boards. Jones also chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists while Grooms ended with six points and four rebounds.
For Lynchburg, West and Jade Massey each had nine points while Etienne had eight of her own. Price ended the night with six points and a team-high seven rebounds.
What’s on tap
While Lynchburg-Clay ends its season at 15-9 after winning the program’s first sectional title since 2019, North Adams advances to a Division III district championship game.
The Devils will meet with another league opponent in Fairfield for the right to play in the Sweet 16. That contest is slated for a noon tipoff on Saturday at Waverly’s Downtown Gym.
“We just have to prepare and get ready,” Davis said. “Our girls do a great job of executing when we prepare for teams. I like the short turnaround rather than having 16 days off. I like to go get it. I was more relaxed tonight because we were familiar with [Lynchburg-Clay]. It’ll be that way with Fairfield as well.”
BOX SCORE
Lynchburg-Clay: 10-10-9-8 — 37
North Adams: 13-5-14-24 — 56
Lynchburg-Clay: 14-51 FG, 6-12 FT, 3-22 3pt., 25 rebounds (Price 7), 17 turnovers, 6 assists (Etienne 2). Scoring: West 9, Massey 9, Etienne 8, Price 6, Barry 2, Rich 2.
North Adams: 19-47 FG, 16-19 FT, 2-10 3pt., 34 rebounds (Price 10), 16 turnovers, 5 assists (Jones 3). Scoring: Hupp 19, Ruckel 13, Jones 10, Grooms 6, Boerger 4, Brand 4.
SPONSORED BY WILLEY & SON TRUCKING
