Captain Megan Robertson ’11 dropped 16 points to lead Andover in a decisive defeat of Deerfield on Saturday. On Wednesday, Robertson again took charge in a close, three-point victory over Nobles. This was a great week for Andover as they claimed two key wins, and brought their record to .500 at 5-5. Against Deerfield, Andover started off slowly and fell behind early. After regaining their composure, Andover stormed back late in the first half, led by Robertson and Leah Humes ’12, and managed to take a two point lead starting the second half. From there, it was all Andover. Pouring in 15 straight points, Andover ran away with a 55-36 win. Andover never looked back and retained their lead for the rest of the game, as Robertson, Humes and Alex Kiss-Rusk ’12 had 16, 12 and 12 points respectively to lead the scoring. Through the big victory, Andover saw eight different players score at least one point, and every player logged quality minutes. “It was a big win,” said Humes. “We had just dropped another extremely close away game, and this was a reassuring win that really helped boost our confidence.” She continued, “We have been practicing a lot, and it was great to see hard work paying off. Everybody got to play against Deerfield, and the win really improved our on-the-court chemistry.” On Wednesday, Andover faced Nobles in just their second home game of the season and did not disappoint. In a very entertaining, high-spirited game, Andover was able to come out on top despite having to compete against a premier post player from Nobles. “It was definitely a back and forth game. They tried to force the ball inside a lot, but we were able to shut them down by fronting the pass and not letting them catch the ball inside at all,” said Amanda Simard ’13. Both Robertson and Alex Kiss-Rusk ’12 were crucial in controlling the post for Andover. Both players provided points in bunches and were able to dominate the boards in a big win for Andover. The guards were a huge help for Andover as well, as Humes was a facilitator on offense for Andover, and was a major source of steals as well. In the upcoming week, Andover has three games, including a big game against rival Phillips Exeter. On Saturday, Andover will face a struggling Worcester Academy team. With a record of 3-7, Worcester also played Nobles in their last game, but lost by 30 points. On Tuesday, Andover will go head to head with Brooks at home. Brooks has a record standing at 10-9, and are coming off of a three point loss to Central Catholic. The biggest game of the week will take place next Saturday against Exeter at home. Starting off the season with 6 straight losses, Exeter has bounced back with four straight victories, including wins over Deerfield, Choate and St. Paul’s. Andover will hope to claim three victories in the upcoming week.
