Anchored by key performances by Co-Captains Ryan Hartung ’12 and Thomas Palleschi ’12, Andover Boys Basketball blew away Pingree School in its scrimmage on Tuesday, starting its season off well.
Andover got out to a slow start with poor shooting and uncharacteristic turnovers. However, the team battled back, cutting the Pingree lead to 31-30 at halftime.
Greg Devlin ’14 said, “We picked up the pace at the end of the first half, and that momentum carried into the second half.”
In the second half, the score was reset, and both squads’ benches saw a majority of playing time. Andover’s bench came through with an exceptional performance, blowing out the Pingree team and looking exceptionally impressive in the process.
Palleschi and Hartung finished with 17 and 11 points, respectively, and were crucial to Andover’s success throughout the game.
Ryan Ramos ’12 said, “Our captains played great. They really did a great job of leading us the whole way through.”
Palleschi said, “We started off slowly but how we did in the game wasn’t important; what was important was that we began to mesh as a team and that we built team chemistry.”
Looking ahead, the team is extremely hopeful about its chances this year. With two dynamic playmakers as captains and four post-graduates, the team is hopeful it will bring home some hardware this year.
Jake Howell ’14 said, “I am very excited for the regular season to start. Our practices have gradually increased in intensity, and our captains are doing a great job of helping out the newcomers.”
Andover will play in its first game of the regular season at St. Paul’s School this Friday.
