Sports

Andover Evens Record After Winning One out of Three

With less than ten seconds left on the clock, Co-Captain Dallion Johnson ’20 intercepted a pass, ran down the court, and sunk a deep floater to beat out the halftime buzzer. Andover Boys Basketball eventually defeated Noble and Greenough 72-53 this past Saturday. Additionally, the team also lost to both Loomis Chafee 67-56 last Friday and Tilton 79-65 on Wednesday, putting its record at 8-8.

In its loss against Loomis, Andover controlled the game well in the first half—keeping within five points of its opponents—but fell behind in the second half.

Co-Captain Matteo Whelton ’20 said, “We’ve had some tough games. The game against Loomis was tough. They were a very good team and they were very talented. I like how we stayed together throughout the [game], we faced some adversity but we stuck together and kept fighting throughout the rest of the game.”

Johnson added, “In the Loomis game, we went down because we were tired and we were fatigued. We need to work on our endurance and our cardio so we can be better in the second half and finish the game off strong.”

In the team’s win against Nobles, its motion offense allowed many players to control the ball, and Andover scored the third most amount of points it has scored in a game this season, according to Johnson and Whelton.

“I think the motion offense definitely works if guys aren’t being selfish. [We] need to work selflessly together so that we can move the ball quickly and catch the defense on their heels. We need to move the ball quickly and get good open shots,” said Johnson.

Whelton added, “The motion offense has allowed us to play better together. It allows for more room for creativity and for passing. At times, we can stop moving the ball and it hurts us so this offense helps us keep the ball in motion.”

However, against Tilton on Wednesday, the team did not bring enough energy in the early parts of the game and was not able to carry the momentum from its previous victory, according to Noah Dinkins PG’20.

“We came out with lackluster energy and got punched in the mouth early. We showed signs of getting back into the game but ultimately couldn’t gain momentum,” said Dinkins.

According to Whelton, Andover has several areas that need improvement in order for the team to take the next step.

“I think continuously moving the ball, staying together and I think we need to keep rebounding on defense. Sometimes, we give up too many offensive rebounds. If we can continue to stay together, we can make a nice run at it,” said Whelton.

Andover looks to improve its record with a win against Thayer at home this Friday.