In a thrilling contest against rival Phillips Exeter the Andover Girls Basketball team dominated 56-41, claiming its ninth straight victory. The team continues to improve as the season progresses, becoming more cohesive, more consistent and more confident. Still at number one in the New England Class A rankings, Andover continues to overpower its opponents. The team continues to play game-by-game, focusing only on the next game as the most important. The game against Exeter was close throughout, but Andover maintained its hustle and composure. The Andover team was able to keep its focus because it went into the game prepared. “We didn’t take Exeter for granted, and we didn’t underestimate them,” said Laura Amorosa ’10. Under the pressure of playing a rival, each player stepped up ready to play her best game. Megan Robertson ’11 and Amorosa each had standout performances on Saturday, playing their best games yet. The team also played smart, tight defense to create more possessions, and they were able to use their possessions wisely. The team played at home on Wednesday against Tabor, the second seeded team in the league. Andover came through with a 63-32 victory, asserting their strength and dominance in the Class A league. The Tabor victory highlighted Andover’s improvement, since last time these teams faced off Andover won by only ten points. “This time we stepped our game up, which allowed us to win by almost 30 points,” said Riley Gardner ’10. “We worked really well passing the ball and finding the open player, which allowed us to take higher percentage shots,” said Robertson. Jasmine Hardy ’09, Ansley White ’10, Kourtney DiPerno ’09, Amorosa and Roberston all shot consistently and played well throughout the game. Hardy in particular made a big difference on the court, making plays look easy with her cool composure. Alayna Garbarino ’10, played persistent defense, which was aided by Co-Captain Becca Bendetson’s ’09 energy on the court. Alexis Walker ’12 had incredible presence in the game while Gardner hustled throughout. Co-Captain Catherine Coppinger ’09 played with determined tenacity. With another successful week completed, the Girls Basketball team looks ahead to continue its ten game winning streak. Andover’s next game against a mediocre Suffield Academy will prove to be a test. Despite being 6-5 on the season, Suffield is likely to try hard against against a strong Andover opponent.
