Girls Basketball Sports Winter Sports

Girls Basketball Splits Games at Eight Schools Championships

Last Friday, Andover Varsity Girls Basketball defeated Deerfield with a score of 61-52 in the first round of the Eight Schools Association Championships. Moving on to the second round, it went on to play Taft on Sunday, losing 35-49 and ending the team’s chance at a championship. Andover then faced Rivers, one of the best teams in the league, in a tough loss on Wednesday, with a final score of 25-52.

Brooklyn Wirt ’21 said, “We beat Deerfield out of the tournament that they were hosting, which was a really good feeling.”

On Sunday, Andover lost to Taft after falling behind in the first half. The game started off without much scoring, as players from both teams made turnovers.

Taft then started to gain an advantage, and Andover could not find a way to stop it before the clock ran out.

In addition, the team has been plagued with injuries and illness, which also helped Taft and Rivers gain advantages. Rachna Lewis ’19, Teagan Thompson ’18, and Summer Seward ’21 have all been hindered by injury. Lewis, who recently suffered an ACL tear, aims to return to the team next year.

On Wednesday, Andover lost 25-52 against Rivers. Although the team played with energy, River’s offense dominated the Andover defense, and they had trouble regrouping. After talking with the coaches at halftime, the team managed to find their footing, and played a solid game in the second half. But it was not enough to overcome Rivers’ lead.

Two particular highlights include the performances by Janneke Evans ’18 and new Lower Hannah McGrath ’20, who have contributed to the last few games by boosting the team’s offense.

Despite the tough loses, McGrath commends the team for its ability to play together. McGrath said, “During these past couples of games we began to play more as a team instead of one vs. one basketball. Looking back on the season, I have noticed our strength and determination even throughout a losing season. The team stayed strongly together and made sure to help each other up when teammates heads may be down.”

Looking forward to its final game against Phillips Exeter Academy on Saturday, the team is planning to focus on sharpening their game.

Wirt said, “We have just been working on improving and focusing on the little things. Most of our issues as a team are rooted in forgetting to do the easy stuff like boxing out and using ball fakes, so we’ve been trying to get better at that.”

Andover will face off at home at Exeter at 6:00 pm. The team hopes to take home its second win over Exeter this season.