By Mark Carpenter
On Tuesday, Jan. 19 the North Adams Green Devils varsity boys squad hosted the Southeastern Panthers in non-conference hoops action, looking to pick up their ninth win of the 2020-21 campaign.
Coming off an emotional one-point win over Georgetown three nights earlier, the Devils avoided a letdown and grabbed another victory, easily handling the Panthers 72-51.
North Adams put 11 different players on their roster in the scoring column, led by another 19-point effort from senior guard Jayden Hesler.
The Devils took control early, riding the momentum of a pair of Bransyn Copas three-pointers to a 17-6 lead after one quarter. The North Adams offense continued to roll in the second stanza, racking up 21 points, eight of those from Copas, on their way to a 38-21 halftime advantage.
It was Hesler who found the range in the third quarter, scoring 11 points, including a pair of three-balls, as the Devils held a comfortable 56-37 lead after three quarters. In the final eight minutes, North Adams head coach Nathan Copas was able to freely use his bench and got points from Lane Wagner, Carter Crawford, Wyatt Roades, and Hunter Hoop as they cruised home with the 21-point win.
Even with the win, Coach Copas was not totally satisfied with his teams’s showing.
”I thought we played well at times but I don’t think we played with the same energy and focus that we did against Georgetown,” said the Devils’ head man. “Defensively we let the ball get to the rim off the dribble too easily and gave up too many second chance opportunities.”
Hesler’s 19 led all scorers, with Bransyn Copas adding 14, Seth Meade 9, and Cade Meade 8. The Devils were sharp from long distance, hitting nine three-point shots in the win.
The Devils will jump back into the fire of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference on Friday, Jan, 22 as they face the tough task of going on the road to tackle the state-ranked Eastern Warriors. The Warriors handed the Devils their only conference loss of the season on Dec. 11 by a final count of 65-43.
“We will have to be better on both ends against Eastern,” said Coach Copas. “I know that and our players know that.”
Southeastern
6 15 16 14 —51
North Adams
17 21 18 16 —72
Southeastern (51): Evans 1 3-3 6, Smith 0 2-2 2, Corcoran 2 0-0 5, Carroll 2 2-2 7, George 2 0-0 6, Estep 6 2-7 14, Collins 0 0-2 2, Hall 4 3-5 11, Team 17 12-21 51.
N. Adams (72): Hesler 8 1-1 19, Vogel 1 0-0 2, Copas 4 3-3 14, Wagner 0 1-2 1, Crawford 2 0-1 5, Brand 1 1-2 3, S. Meade 3 0-0 9, Roades 1 1-2 3, Hoop 1 0-1 2, C, Meade 3 2-4 8, Kennedy 2 2-3 6, Team 20 11-19 72.
Three-Point Goals:
Southeastern (5)- Evans 1, Corcoran 1, Carroll 1, George 2
N. Adams (9)- Hesler 2, Copas 3, Crawford 1, S. Meade 3