Ava Davey ’25 clashes against her opponent, shooting the ball to the hoop.
1/11 – Andover: 47, Choate: 80
1/15 – Andover: 48, Brewster: 46
Despite a rough start to 2025 with a loss away at Choate, Girls Basketball bounced back to win in a tight two-point victory against Brewster at home on Wednesday. Away at Choate, Andover suffered a tough loss despite a strong second half. However, Andover managed to narrowly beat Brewster to start off a three-game week with a win.
Co-Captain Emerson Buckley ’25 said that though the team started on the wrong foot against Choate, they came back strong in the second half of the game. She acknowledged that playing hard in both halves is a place for improvement.
“We had a rough first half but came back strong in the second half, so our goal has been to be a two-half team. We can’t just play our game in one half; we need to play two halves, so that is how we have been approaching the next few games,” said Buckley.
She added that the team showed improvement in their match against Brewster. Securing a narrow 48-46 victory, she remarked that this win was an excellent way to kick off their three-game week.
Buckley said, “Following our game against Choate, we focused on playing hard from the get-go, and that is how we started. We were able to stop them in transition, and we are really happy we got this win in order to set the tone for the next two games that we have this week.”
Similarly, Co-Captain Sophia Dandawa ’25 added that the team had to rework their momentum to prepare for the game against Choate. She also noted her hopes to push toward having a full-game team by dedicating energy and effort consistently, especially towards the first half.
Dandawa said, “I think that we fought really hard against Choate. It was our first game back from break, so there will always be some kinks to work out. But there was a lot to be proud of in the first game of the year. One of our goals is to be a two halves team. We have had a history of playing our hardest in the second half. So we are trying to focus on starting off the first half strong so that we don’t have to catch up and setting the tone early.”
Dandawa highlighted the team’s rapid improvement in their match against Brewster. She added that the victory served as a strong confidence boost for the second half of the season.
Dandawa said, “We did so many things well. I am really proud of every single person. Just seeing how much we improved over the past few days, we can see how we have worked both in and out of practice, and seeing the confidence that people had made me feel really good about our game today.”
Dandawa touched on a few notable performances from Alani Rodriguez ’27, Laney Cafua ’27, and Ava Davey ’25. She described Rodriguez’s half-court buzzer-beater and Laney’s three-pointers as pivotal moments during the Brewster.
“I think that Alani Rodriguez hit a buzzer-beater shot from half-court, and that got our game going. Laney Cafua had a great three towards the end to help us. And my Co-Captain Ava Davey helped a lot with some really important steals,” said Dandawa.
Looking ahead to the season, Buckley shared her excitement about some of the upcoming matchups. She noted that their game against Governor’s Academy this Friday promises to be an exciting one.
“Obviously [Phillips] Exeter [Academy], but this Friday at Governor’s, Friday night games are always really fun, and we have had a great back-and-forth game with Governor’s, so I think it will be a very exciting game,” Buckley said.
Buckley ended by mentioning some goals the basketball team has for the season. She added that playing with a good attitude and strong effort from the start are important goals moving into the second half of the season.
“We are following suit with what we have been working on, our non-negotiables, with attitude and effort. We have a really special group, and we are really close to each other and building off of that. Of course, we want to keep winning, but we also want to ensure we are playing hard every time,” Buckley said.
Cafua echoed Buckley’s remarks, noting that they need to play their best from the very start. She also added that the team hopes to trust their shooting instincts going into the second half of the season.
“I think that being a first and second-half team, not starting slow and bringing out the energy as soon as we step on the court. Another thing is giving everyone the green light to shoot the ball. Confidence is a big thing for us. When we shoot the ball, we normally score, so shooting the ball will be a great way to get our energy up. We are looking forward to it as we have one win down and two more to go this week.” said Cafua.
Girls’ Basketball will play Governor’s Academy next Friday.
