Georgetown sophomore Noah Pack buries a field goal over a North Adams defender during the Nov. 11 Foundation Game at Georgetown.
Georgetown sophomore Noah Pack buries a field goal over a North Adams defender during the Nov. 11 Foundation Game at Georgetown.

By Wade Linville –

With the official start of the 2016-17 high school basketball season just over a week away, OHSAA Foundation Games are kicking up throughout the area.
On Friday, Nov. 11, the Georgetown G-Men played host to the North Adams Green Devils for the annual Foundation Games at Georgetown High School, an event to benefit the local Coaches vs. Cancer Fund.
In an exciting preseason exhibition contest, it was the Green Devils pulling out a narrow 60-58 over the G-Men.
The bout was tied at 11 at the end of the first quarter as a Devils’ three-pointer tied the game following a bucket by Georgetown junior Johnny Strickland that gave the G-Men an 11-8 lead.
The Green Devils went on a 16-2 run to start the second quarter, rising to a 27-13 lead over the G-Men.
After hit free throws by Georgetown sophomore Cameron Brookbank and junior teammate Logan Doss, the G-Men trailed 27-17 with just over three minutes to go before halftime break.
It was a three-pointer by Georgetown senior Christian Linville with 1:35 to go in the second quarter that would spark a Georgetown rally.
What followed was an assist by Georgetown senior Solomon Underwood for a bucket by sophomore postman Noah Pack. Pack was fouled on the shot, and went to the charity stripe to finish off the old fashioned three-point play to slice the North Adams lead to 32-23.
After a bucket by Brookbank on a fast-break to end scoring in the second quarter, the G-Men trailed 32-25 at halftime, slicing the Devils’ lead in half during their rally late in the first half.
Another old fashioned three-point play by Pack with 7:10 to go in the third quarter left the G-Men trailing by only six (34-28) just before Linville picked up his third foul of the night and took a seat on the bench.
Then it was North Adams’ point guard Isaiah Anderson causing problems for the Georgetown offense, grabbing two straight steals and cruising down the court for two easy buckets on transition to expand the Devils’ lead to 38-28.
The Devils rose to a 42-28 lead before a field goal from close range by Solomon Underwood left the G-Men trailing by 12.
Once again it was the G-Men putting together a late-quarter rally. A set of hit free throws by Brookbank cut the North Adams lead to 42-37, then it was an assist by Strickland for a bucket by Solomon Underwood that narrow the margin to 42-39.
A rebound and put-back by Georgetown senior Chris Dietrick sliced the North Adams lead to 42-41 with under a minute to go in the third quarter.
At the end of the third, it was North Adams leading 44-41.
After a set of hit free throws by Anderson to start the fourth quarter, an assist by Linville for a score by Strickland on a fast-break left the G-Men trailing by just three, 46-43 with 5:42 left on the clock.
The Devils then pulled away to a 53-43 lead, and the G-Men once again found themselves battling back from a double-digit deficit.
It was Brookbank burying a set of free throws in the shooting bonus to narrow the margin to 53-49.
The Devils clung tight to a narrow lead into the final minute of the fourth frame.
With 32 seconds left on the clock, it was a bucket by Brookbank that left the G-Men trailing by just three, 56-53.
The Devils sealed the deal at the charity stripe in the final seconds, as the G-Men fouled to stop the clock.
A set of hit free throws by Anderson expanded the Devils’ lead to 60-55 with only 3.7 seconds left on the clock, but in the final possession of the night it was Solomon Underwood dribbling down the court unguarded and draining a shot beyond the arc just before the buzzer sounded.
Pack was among the G-Men’s scoring leaders with 18 points while also reaching double figures in rebounding to record a double-double.
Leading all scorers was Anderson with 30 points.
The first preseason contest of the evening saw the Georgetown Lady G-Men taking on the North Adams Lady Green Devils, and it was the skilled squad from North Adams cruising to a 73-23 victory over the young Georgetown varsity squad.
The Lady Green Devils utilized their size advantage, racking up buckets in the paint to hold a 44-11 lead at halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, the Lady G-Men faced a 56-19 deficit in the preseason exhibition game.
North Adams’ Avery Harper led all scorers with 25 points.