After a 12-point halftime deficit, Andover powered its way back, cutting the Rivers lead in half, but it wasn’t quite enough as Boys Basketball fell, 49-43 in a close battle last Friday. On Wednesday, Andover suffered its second loss of the week in a 91-44 defeat by an incredibly talented Tilton squad. Andover wasn’t itself coming out of the locker room last Friday, when it squared off with Rivers on the road. Andover begun sluggish, finding itself in a 31-19 hole at halftime. “That first half was tough,” said Khalid McCaskill ‘10. “We were just too sloppy with the ball. But the fact that we fought through it and made that comeback shows a lot of heart.” After the break, Andover found its rhythm. Tom Lavin ’08 led the team with a spectacular all-around game, whose 16 points was a high for both teams. Lavin also had five rebounds and four assists to cap off the night. Co-Captain Mike Palermo ’08 and McCaskill also had big games for Andover, with nine and ten points, respectively. The team had six three-pointers on the night, with two apiece from Lavin, Palermo, and McCaskill. Despite the lackluster first half, Andover valiantly fought its way back in a brilliant second half effort. After 15 turnovers in the first half, compared to just four assists, the team stepped its concentration up for the final 16 minutes of the game. On both sides of the ball, Andover took control. In the second half, Andover held Rivers to just 18 points, the second lowest number of points Andover has allowed in a half all season. The strong defensive effort led to a more fluid offense, as Andover finally settled down and began a final minute surge. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough, and the team couldn’t overcome the poor first half performance. On Wednesday, Andover put in a strong effort against an impressive Tilton team. Tilton is a powerhouse of the league this season, cruising to a 15-4 overall record. It was the second time Andover played the Rams, having a 47-78 loss on December third. Despite the score, Andover played incredibly hard throughout the contest. Tilton’s star-powered and explosive offense was simply too much for Andover. Tom Hamel ’10 said, “We were flying around the court and had good intensity. Tilton is just an excellent basketball team.” The two losses this week brought Andover to a four-game skid, the second longest of the season. This streak has brought the team’s overall record to 3-11. The team hopes to end its skid, however, and start fresh this Saturday against Thayer.
