Co-Captain Robbie Nyamwaya ’24 fends off a Deerfield opponent.
Rashad McCormick PG’24 goes up for a dunk.
Saturday 1/20 – Andover: 66, Deerfield: 72
Andover Boys Basketball (6-5) displayed determination against Deerfield on Saturday, but ultimately lost the critical game.
Despite offensive delivery, the team fell short on defense, noted Co-Captain Robbie Nyamwaya ’24. This game was crucial in determining the Class A New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) standings.
“It was a bit disappointing. It was a pretty big game. It was a conference opponent. But I think we showed heart and we fought back… We were down by a lot but then we fought back into a tied game and we did take the lead once,” said Nyamwaya.
Co-Captain Keenan Sparks ’24 also emphasized the team’s difficulty with persistence through defensive troubles.
“I don’t think our offense was the problem at all. We made a lot of shots and we moved the ball well. I think it was just we struggled on defense and getting stops when we needed to and just rebounds, mainly defensive rebounds. I know that the week before against Tabor [Academy], we had the same issue when we gave up at least 20 offensive rebounds,” said Sparks.
Sparks highlighted Xavier Abreu ’25 as a standout player whose offensive prowess helped the team stay in the game. Sparks also credited Nyamwaya for his defense.
Sparks said, “[Abreu] made a lot of shots in the first half. And then Robbie did a good job, I thought he played well. I mean, he didn’t make all his shots, but he did a good job on defense and he did a good job on rebounding and he played tough.”
The home crowd raised the team’s morale, according to Nyamwaya. Faculty also got invested in the game, some even helping out the players. Nyamwaya recalled the advice of Jamal English, Instructor in English.
Nyamwaya said, “The atmosphere was great. A lot of people showed up [for] this Saturday game and they kind of helped us fight back into the game, giving us energy and the crowd cheering when we made shots… Shout out to Mr. English. He gave me some good advice at halftime that helped me play better and be more effective.”
Despite its three-game losing streak, the team remains optimistic for its upcoming games. Sparks noted the team’s goal to focus on the remaining regular season games.
“The energy has been really good. Obviously, losing is not fun, but I think the next practice [after the game] on Monday was good and [we are] just focusing on the next games because there [are] still a lot of games left. We still have ten Class-A games left, there’s still a lot of games left,” said Sparks.
Even without school in the upcoming days, the team will continue to hold practices, according to Hunter Peabody ’27. Peabody highlighted multiple areas where the team could sharpen its game.
“We are going to work on moving the ball and kicking it out for transition layups. We will also work on spacing across the perimeter for open kick out threes as well as shot creation. We have to work on boxing out and hitting a man as well as push-denying the wings and corner while playing offball defense,” said Peabody.
Andover Boys Basketball will play away at Tilton School on Wednesday.
