Captain Jackie Price ’06 led the Andover Girls Basketball team with eight points against Exeter last Saturday. Andover’s early offensive struggles spotted Exeter a large first half lead and Exeter maintained that lead to win 60-35. Exeter took advantage of Andover’s inconsistent shooting in the first half by compiling multiple six or eight point runs. Sarah Beattie ’07 did a good job stealing the ball on defense to create better opportunities on the offensive side of the court. At halftime, Exeter led 26-13. Exeter started the second half just as it started the first, connecting on almost all of its shots. Exeter controlled the game by making a large majority of its foul shots and grabbing offensive rebounds. Andover, though displaying great hustle, struggled to keep up with Exeter’s consistent shooting. Kelly Fox ’08 demonstrated relentless hustle on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. She made great steals and fought hard for rebounds, and also played aggressive on offense by driving the basket. Kristen Macdonald ’07 did a good job creating offensive opportunities and taking shots. Macdonald and Kara Hollis ’07 played well offensively by driving to the basket. Throughout the entire game, Andover displayed great heart, effort, and pride, but Exeter finished the game with a 60-35 win. The seniors did a great job leading the team in their final Andover game. Captain Price had eight points and three steals, Claire Fox ’06 had two points and six rebounds, and Sarah Thomas ’06 had four rebounds. Macdonald also had eight points, Beattie had seven points and six rebounds, and Fox ’08 and Hollis each had five points. The girls made tremendous strides from their first game to their last and displayed constant hustle and determination. Throughout the season, the Big Blue remained a very strong defensive team and improved enormously on the offensive end of the court. By the end of the season, the Big Blue was learning to dominate offensive and defensive rebounding. The entire team contributed to the successful season as different players stepped up to the plate in tough moments of games, contributing to the team with baskets, rebounds and steals. Andover’s success came from united effort to overcome obstacles and achieve its goals. Captain Price did an excellent job leading the team this year with her exemplary knowledge of the game and encouragement. As a constant inspiration to all the players, she led the team both on and off the court. Captain Price reflects on the season by saying, “We transformed into a completely different team by accomplishing our goals of better communication, tougher defense, and developing better team chemistry. We went from being 12 individuals to being one cohesive team.Coach Boardman agrees with Captain Price and adds, “The girls played with constant tenacity, always working hard and giving incredible effort. ”
