Jaylen Edmonds ’27 performs a hesitation move.
Andover: 62, Loomis: 32
Andover: 50, Nobles: 54
Andover: 60, Tilton: 82
Despite a riveting 62-32 win against Loomis Chaffee (Loomis), Boys Basketball (11-4) has lost four of its past five games. It suffered losses on the road against Noble and Greenough (Nobles) and Tilton on Saturday and Wednesday, respectively.
Following a short two-game losing streak against Deerfield and Milton, the team showcased a dominant performance at home against Loomis. Manager Ryan Swales ’27 commented on the team’s dynamic defense and efficient rebounding that led to a 30-point win.
“We were shooting pretty well at [the] game. Shots were going down, [and] that’s what we needed because the last couple of games we were not [shooting] very well. Being able to get those threes really helped us. And overall, we were doing really good on [the] defensive end. We locked down the perimeter where a lot of shots [were] trying to happen. Being able to keep them inside, but not having them go for easy lay-ups, was definitely where we thrived,” said Swales.
On Saturday, the team traveled to Nobles, where they came up short in a close game despite a rally that cut down on a 15-point deficit. Despite the loss, there were positive aspects of the game, which Kosi Udeh ’27 elaborated on.
“Towards the end, we started giving a lot more effort on defense because our shots really weren’t hitting. [We relied] on what we can control, which is our defense, [the] effort we’re putting, [and] rebounding. That one went well towards the end, but it was a rocky road,” said Udeh.
Udeh further highlighted Jaylen Edmonds’s ’27 effort defensively. Specifically, he praised Edmonds for the energy he brings.
“Jaylen really brings the energy defensively. It starts [with] limiting the amount of points they can score on us, controlling what we can control, staying in the gaps, [and] giving lots of effort on defense is the reason why we really turned around that game. His rebounding has been super underrated as well,” said Udeh.
The team’s next game on the road against Tilton did not go as well as it wished, ending in an 82-60 defeat. Kingston Johnson ’28 remarked on the team’s execution.
“Today, we unfortunately lost by a pretty good margin of points. We weren’t really playing to the best of our abilities, but like our coach says, it’s always the next play,” said Johnson.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the team hopes to rebuild core tactics that were the foundation of its dominant first half of the season. Johnson explained what the team needed to work on.
“We definitely have to work on being consistent with our ball movement, defense, [and] communication. We especially have to work on our defense because at times, we get a little lackluster and don’t really have the energy we need,” said Johnson.
Udeh shared Johnson’s sentiment on improving the team’s defense. He pointed out specific details the team will focus on.
“Definitely, we’re gonna have to prepare to play in the zone again. Playing in the zone was something we weren’t prepared to do that game, and it caught us a little bit off guard. We’re going to change our defensive principles going into the rest of the season, and going back to what made us really, really good towards the first half of the season.”
Boys Basketball will face Thayer at home on Friday.
