12/2 – Andover: 53, Pomfret: 6
12/6 – Andover: 35, Worcester: 53
Record: 1-1
Andover Girls Basketball (1-1) began their season playing against Pomfret School and Worcester Academy. Away at Pomfret, Andover dominated the court throughout the entire game, convincingly winning 53-6. Andover unfortunately fell short against a strong Worcester team, ending the week with a 1-1 record.
Andover’s game against Pomfret was their first game as a team, as many new players joined. However, according to Cuyler Sparks ’27, they played well together defensively and transitioned well, leading to a successful game.
Sparks said, “We won 53-6. It was our first game. It is a fairly new team. We have a lot of young players, a lot of new Seniors, and PGs with only one returner starting. Defensively we played really well, and we were able to transition into offense as the game went on as well.”
Alani Rodriguez ’27, new to the team, praised Anni Juuselo ’24 for her exceptional work ethic, emphasizing her strength in executing challenging layups and finishes under the basket, which contributed to her 20-point performance.
“Anni Juselo played really well she had twenty points. She made a lot from under the basket with layups and hard finishes. She was also really good from the free throw line, which was good,” said Rodriguez.
Leila Boesch-Powers ’24 expressed pride in the team’s resilience during their challenging match against Worcester on Wednesday. She believes that by enhancing their strengths and integrating new players, the team has the potential to have a successful season.
“I think that we played very tough against Worcester. Starting from the first minute, everyone was rushing on the court and playing defense and playing like a team and just playing tough and showing Worcester what we could do and that we really wanted the win. I think we left everything on the court, and am very happy with how we played,” said Boesch-Powers.
There are many things that Girls Basketball is hoping to improve on going into their next game. Laney Cafua ’27 noted that they have been working on offensive plays to gain more confidence at the hoop.
Cafua said, “As a team, we are definitely working on playing fast and playing with aggression. Playing at a high level requires a lot of aggression. I think our team does a great job of this. We are also working on pushing each other as hard as possible in practice, which leads to a great outcome against other teams.”
Sparks agreed with Cafua’s statement that the team must get more comfortable with their plays on offense. She also added that running the transition offense was the most important thing they are practicing this season.
Sparks said, “We are working on playing offensively. Just running the offense, I think. That is the biggest thing going into the season. Being able to run our transition offense well will be the main thing we will be working on.”
Andover Girls’ Basketball is set for an exciting season with a lineup of difficult opponents. Rodriguez particularly highlighted the anticipation for the Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) game, emphasizing it as the most significant and thrilling match of the year.
“Along with the team, we are really excited to play Exeter, which is our rival school, at the end of the term, and we would love to win two years in a row against them.” said Rodriguez.
Boesch-Powers agreed that Exeter was its biggest competitor. She also acknowledged that there is a long road of games before their game against Exeter, but she is still very excited.
Boesch-Powers said, “I have to say Exeter, that game is always electric, especially since it is at home on Senior night. Of course, we still have a lot of competition and games before that game, but I am still very excited.”
Andover Girls Basketball plays Loomis Chaffee at home on Saturday.
