Ansley White ’10 and Megan Robertson ’11 racked up 17 rebounds for Andover, overpowering Milton Academy with height and aggressive play to catalyze the Andover offense in a 43-31 victory. Helping bring the team to a victory, Jasmine Hardy ’09 scored 13 points and Laura Amorosa ’10 added 11 points. Co-Captain Annie McDonough ’09 also contributed with 8 points on the board for Andover. Milton battled neck and neck with Andover throughout the entire first half, and the teams entered halftime with a slim, two-point Andover advantage. “In the first half, we had a big lead but at the end of the half, we started slacking and gave up a bit of our lead. In the second half, we came out strong and wanted it more, played as a team and dominated to the end,” said Amorosa. The girls used halftime to regain their composure and energy, coming out on fire in the second half. The Andover girls added aggression in the second half, particularly on the boards, was key to Andover’s victory as the team improved to 6-2. Kelly Fox ’08, the captain of last year’s squad, returned to watch Andover’s first home game of 2009. Fox said it was great to be able to come back and watch her team win, and the aspect that stood out the most to Fox was to see the girls working as a “cohesive unit” on the court. White and Robertson combined to provide a powerful force down low for Andover, keeping the ball in Andover’s possesioin. Kourtney DiPerno ’09 and Alayna Garbarino ’10 were also key members for Andover, spreading the ball for open shots at the top of the key. In a well-played game at Thayer Academy on Wednesday, Andover destroyed Thayer 53-25. Both teams played well-executed basketball, but Andover played one of their most cohesive games yet to earn the win. Andover took accurate shots and consistently had strong ball reversal. “Thayer was a very scrappy team, but we worked hard to hold onto the ball,” said DiPerno. Other stars for Andover were Hardy and McDonough, both of whom helped to rack up the score with a combination of points and rebounds, helping a short-handed team due to a finger injury to Amorosa during warm-ups. To help the Andover cause, Thayer was a relatively short team, making it easier for Andover the control the pace of the game with frequent rebounds. The combination of terrific passing to create scoring opportunities for Andover and Thayer disorganization propelled Andover to its fifth win of the season. On Saturday, Andover will face off with Deerfield Academy.
