The Andover Varsity Girls Basketball Team beat Exeter 43-39 on the Red’s home court before they suffered a decisive 57-42 loss to their Tabor rival. Despite the close score against Exeter, the Lady Ballers clearly dominated on the court last weekend. The team was working together beautifully, bearing a remarkable resemblance to Jiffy Lube’s coined “Well Oiled Machine.” The girls got off to a relatively slow start, trailing 22-16 at the half. Co-captain Mimi Hanley ’04, “In the first half, the girls seemed to be working to figure out their opponent. They kept the score fairly close but were initially unable to really make things happen.” After the half, the Lady Blue came out with a new resolve. They started to capitalize on Exeter’s weaknesses, and worked industriously, chipping away at their opponent’s six point lead. They played well, pulling off higher percentage shots and limiting their turnovers. The Exies were caught off guard as Andover slowly encroached upon their lead. In one of their famous comeback wins, the Lady Ballers were able to overcome Exeter’s lead and pull through with a sold 43-39 victory. Co-Captain Hanley was impressed with the ability of the girls to turn around their game. “The girls definitely brought their A game,” she remarked. Among others, Hanley was crucial to the team’s winning endeavor. She led all scorers in the game and reached a personal best of 19 points. In addition to scoring, Hanley was a great help to her team with eight rebounds and five steals. This past Wednesday, however, the Lady Blue did not have the same resolve. Throughout the game the girls put forth their best effort, but, as put simply by starter Steph Krant ’05, “Some days you have it and some days…you just don’t.” The game, like Saturday’s, got off to a slow start. The difference, however, was that unlike on Saturday, the girls were not able to come through with the win. Tabor hit the Lady Blue with an indomitable offense led by Laura Locitas. Co-captain Haney said of the opponents’ star player, “She scored at least 40 points. She was in effect unstoppable.” Locitas was indeed a force to be reckoned with. She scored countless times, leading a powerful offensive onslaught against the Andover hoop. Krant agreed, “Laura Locitas pretty much killed us,” she said. After the first half, the Lady Blue was trailing 21-28. The Lady Ballers tried to pull it together after the intermission, but unfortunately, things seemed to fall in the other direction. Hanley said, “We lost our momentum at the half, and they picked up an intensity they had not previously possessed. They brought the game up a level and we were caught unprepared.” Andover’s offense was on the weak side after the half. Despite Hanley’s near 20 points and efforts by Conlon and Krant, who each scored 9, the Andover offense was simply not what it needed to be. Andover had a hard time responding to Tabor’s aggressive style of play. Tabor’s number 00 was particularly aggressive, sending Hanley sprawling more than once. “Her elbows were flying,” said Krant. Hanley summed up the teams faults, “We definitely needed to step it up a notch in order to beat.” Unfortunately, the Lady Blue was unable to take its game to the same level they did on Saturday and finished the game 42-57. Despite the game’s disappointing outcome however, the players seem to remain optimistic. Krant remarked, “There was an evident overall improvement in our level of play as compared to the last time we played Tabor. If we bring the same commitment to the court on Friday when we play Suffield, hopefully we will experience more satisfying results.”
