Boys Basketball suffered a tough loss last Thursday night against a very talented Proctor team by the score of 89-57. The flashy Proctor team was just too much for the Big Blue to handle, featuring a seven-foot center and a talented group of guards, including one who will be playing for the University of Connecticut next year. Andover still had strong individual performances from a trio of uppers comprised of Chris Bramwell ’07, Will Sherrill ’07, and Matt Silva ’07. Bramwell led PA with 17 points while Silva scored 14 points. Sherrill added in ten points and also came down with nine rebounds. The game began in a very different manner than how it ended. Andover’s offense came out strong and was able to keep up with the high-powered Proctor offense. Bramwell, Silva, and Sherrill led the Big Blue offense which featured tremendous perimeter shooting. Silva had the hot hand in the first half, torching Proctor with three pointers. The game remained close going into halftime, as Proctor led 46-36. Unfortunately the second half opened differently from the first. Proctor came out of the half with a run and gun offense that Andover was unable to stop. Proctor’s seven-footer was able to control the rebounds, allowing Proctor’s wing players to run down court for a layup without worrying about rebounding. The excellent transition attack took the Big Blue right out of the game in the second half and Proctor ran away with an 89-57 win. Andover’s tough schedule continued with a difficult game against Brooks. Still playing without leading scorer and Captain Joey Lokitis ’06, the team fought very hard throughout the game but fell short, losing by the score of 64-53. Andover fell behind early in the first half and never recovered. The Brooks inside game dominated the Big Blue defense in the first half and gave Brooks a 37-24 halftime lead. Andover opened the second half in a completely different manner, opening up its attack and slowing the game’s tempo. Silva led Andover with 16 points, 12 of which came off three-pointers. he completed the double-double by adding in 11 rebounds. Bryan Lee ’06 also contributed with 15 points. Andover, however, could not score enough to overcome the large halftime deficit losing with a final score of 64-53. On Wednesday, Andover faced a talented Tilton team, which had beaten Andover earlier in the season. Andover was not only without Captain Lokitis but also missed Lee. Without its entire backcourt, the team tried to control the tempo by being patient on offense and playing aggressive defense. The strategy worked as Andover led for most of the first half but a Tilton flurry at the end of the half gave the home team a 29-24 lead. Still, Andover was in striking distance. In the second half, Andover’s offense struggled as Tilton applied a full court press and pulled away. Andover stayed within ten or twelve points the whole half but could never get any closer, losing 57-43. Andover faces Thayer on Friday night, Governor Dummer on Monday and Tabor on Wednesday.
