Led by 18 points from Alex Kiss-Rusk ’12, Andover cruised to victory over Milton in the first home game of the season. Later on Wednesday, Andover traveled to Thayer, and dropped another heartbreaker by two points in the last seconds of the game. Andover’s record now stands at 3-5. Andover’s defense shined, holding the opposing team to only 21 points the entire game. Although starting off a little anxious in the first half, the team regained its composure as time passed and ended the first half with a 21-10 lead. Andover jumped out to a great start in the second half and eventually ran away with a 25-point win. Maintaining a strong lead throughout the second half, all girls received adequate playing time en route to a massive win. “We capitalized on our size and speed against Milton,” said Captain Megan Robertson ’11. “We ran the fast break very well, and were able to score easily in transition.” On Wednesday, Andover took on the talented team from Thayer, and in their 4th game decided by fewer than 5 points, Andover fell in the final seconds. Although Alex Kiss-Rusk scored at will and Leah Humes ’11 racked up steals left and right, Andover’s usual strength became a weakness in this game. “We did not rebound nearly as much as we should have or could have,” said Robertson. “We turned the ball over way too much.” In a back-and-forth game, the teams remained tied until the final 20 seconds when Thayer had the ball. With 10 seconds left, Thayer dropped in a game-winning basket to take the lead and the game. With a 3-5 start to the season, the team is dissatisfied with its playing, and looks to improve as the season continues. “Right now, we need to focus on communicating better on the court,” said Robertson. “We have improved on this as the season has progressed, but we still need to get better as a unit.” As captain, Robertson feels obligated to put her team back on track, and has over 10 games remaining in the season to do so. Next week, Andover will go to Deerfield on Saturday, and face Nobles at home on Wednesday. Deerfield maintains a 4-7 record, but remains a formidable opponent after defeating St. Paul’s and three other schools. Andover will hope to gain key wins over both these teams in the upcoming week, and regain its form as a great team.
