Sara Damon ’29 dribbles the ball toward BB&N’s basket at home on
Wednesday.
2/14 – Andover: 70, Pingree: 27
2/18 – Andover: 73, BB&N: 35
Girls Basketball (15–7) continued its strong season this past week with two dominant victories against Pingree and BB&N. The wins showcased the team’s depth and balance, as contributions came from across the roster. The performances also reflected the team’s preparation in practice, which carried over onto the court.
The week’s games presented multiple opportunities for members of the team to shine, and Maddie Marshall ’29 highlighted how her teammates rose to the occasion. Marshall emphasized how teammates Emma Moore ’28 and Co-Captain Alani Rodriguez ’27 found the fine balance between strong individual contributions and reinforcing an overall team effort.
“Emma and Alani really stood out. Emma was killing it down in the post, and she took every advantage to get rebounds and do her work down there, which she ended up scoring over 20 points for us. And then, Alani did a really nice job facilitating the ball, and she was giving up her own shots to create better shots for other people,” said Marshall.
Vera Pape ’29 emphasized the team’s structured preparation between game days, recalling its focus on sharpening ball movement and adjusting different defensive schemes. In practice, the team also worked on multiple defence strategies, including zone defenses, where players guard areas of the court, and man-to-man strategies, where each defender is assigned to a specific opponent.
“We worked on a lot of our passing and cutting against either zone defense or man defense, and working as a team, specifically the guards working together and the post working together to work on our individual moves,” said Pape.
Turning to Wednesday, the team hosted BB&N at home, where standout performances from Jules Stevensons ’28 and Rodriguez helped power the offense. Both players capitalized on their opportunities, putting up points behind the three-point line and attacking effectively in the paint. Pape elaborated on how the practices leading up to the game translated to the team’s dominant performance against BB&N.
“We were reading the ball really well, and a lot of the plays were made by making a lot of good passes in a row, and usually we got someone open for a three[-pointer],” said Pape.
Looking ahead, Girls Basketball will compete in the NE8 tournament on Friday and Saturday, where it will face Deerfield and Lawrenceville.
