Despite a thrilling loss late in the game to Exeter on Saturday, Andover got its revenge this Wednesday, scoring a season-high 78 points to advance to the second round and knock Exeter out of the playoffs. Andover’s roller coaster week against Exeter began in the annual Andover/Exeter competition this Saturday, in which Andover’s 14-game winning streak came to an end in a heartbreaking loss. The team took a hard fall after leading the game until the last minute, ultimately losing 48-51. Andover’s biggest challenge in the game was fouling. Andover sent Exeter to the foul line 22 times, and Exeter made 17 of those shots. Andover’s Kourtney DiPerno ’09 and Laura Amorosa ’10 each racked up 16 points apiece, and Ansley White ’10 played well scoring 10 points. After maintaining a lead for the whole game, Andover fell apart in the final minutes. “Little mistakes and frustrations whittled our lead” said Megan Robertson ’11, eluding to the foul trouble. Because of Exeter’s victory on Saturday, it qualified for the playoffs ranked at number eight in Class A. Despite Andover’s loss, the team held on to the number one spot. According to post-season format, Andover the received home court advantage in a face-off with Exeter in the first round of elimination on Wednesday. In the first 10 minutes of the game, Andover allowed just eight points to take a dominating 30-8 lead. The game began strong as Amorosa stole the ball from the Exeter team and assisted Jasmine Hardy ’09 in socring for the first two points of the game. Amorosa was on fire, dropping three three-pointers and making numerous defensive steals. DiPerno and Hardy were also key contributors for Andover, draining five three-pointers and four three-pointers respectively. At the point guard position, Hardy kept the team composed when they were under pressure and dictated the pace of the game. Robertson and White also played outstanding games, pulling down rebounds and controlling the paint for Andover. The highlight play of the game consisted of three-pointers from Amorosa, Hardy and DiPerno, all within 30 seconds of each other in the first half of the game. The first half ended with a score of 32-30, after Exeter had a minor comeback. In the second half, Andover was much better at controlling their fouls, and regained a significant lead over Exeter. Andover hustled through the final buzzer to secure their win, 78-60 over Exeter.
