Despite maintaining a consistent ten-point lead throughout the first half, Andover Girls Basketball was challenged by Holderness with a strong second-half comeback. After some strong plays in the fourth quarter, Andover secured a one-point win over Holderness on Wednesday.
“It really came down to the end, which got exciting, but we could have had a lot more energy throughout the game. Faraway Wednesday games are tough,” said Co-Captain Claire Brady ’20.
According to Brady, the team can improve its consistency on offense.
“Moving around on offense is something we need to be more consistent with. There were times when there was a lot happening and times where it was just stagnant, so having fluidity throughout the game [is important],” said Brady.
Andover defeated both St. Paul’s and Hotchkiss at Sunday’s Eight Schools Tournament, outperforming its expectations after losing to St. Paul’s earlier in the season.
Maya Shkolnik ’21 attributes the victories to improvements in the team’s defense and communication.
Brady added, “We played St. Paul’s earlier in the season, and we actually lost to them, so it was really nice to redeem ourselves and prove that we could play a lot better than that.”
The team faced Phillips Exeter Academy once already this season and won, and Brady believes that the team’s tenacity on defense will help it achieve success against Exeter again this weekend.
“We’re pretty good at pressuring the ball and jumping passes and getting turnovers,” said Brady.
“Earlier in the season, we would kind of play to the level of our opponent, and I think we have gotten a lot better at distinguishing what our game is and being able to control a game depending upon who we are playing. We did win our first game against Exeter, so this will be a really good match up again. I think it’ll be a really good, exciting game. Hopefully, we can get a win, but nothing is guaranteed, of course,” said Shkolnik.
Andover will face Exeter at home on Saturday.
