Girls’ Basketball Edged Out by Deerfield
Exeter’s girls’ varsity basketball team dribbles up the court to the basket. The Deerfield fans’ screams are just background noise to the Big Red players on the court. The girls struggle to hear Coach Camillus call the team plays over Deerfield’s dance groups and cheers. The hard-fought game ends in a defeat for the Exeter girls. After traveling for almost four hours, the team was dissatisfied with the 40-65 loss. Although Deerfield only had a 3-5 record, Exeter had trouble keeping up throughout the game with a 1-6 record.
“Deerfield’s smart plays helped them push the ball up the court to get good transition opportunities on offense,” lower Eva Carchidi said. However, senior and co-captain Olivia Lei believes that, with the right focus, the team can counteract scoring streaks like this in the future. “I think that it is a matter of focus and not mentally checking out, but I recognize that it is hard to do,” she added.
Despite the tough loss, the game was highlighted by standout performances. Lower Angelina Zhang and prep Erin McCann both recognized lower Bethany Lucey for her behind-the-back pass as the play of the game. Lucey’s play also led to an assist for her and a finish on a fast break for senior and co-captain Ella Johnson.
McCann also acknowledged Johnson’s “consistent hustle to get to the ball” during Saturday’s game. She continued to praise Johnson’s ability to sustain energy and maintain resilience. “[She] consistently hustled to get the ball and hit the floor at least six times.”
Lei described the difficult game as a “bump” in the season. She is determined that the defeat will only motivate the girls to work harder in the upcoming practices. “We’ve been working on a lot, and it’s important for us to recognize that we have been improving and that we should continue to work hard,” she said. “We’ve talked about this as a team, but it’s a matter of resetting mentally and just throwing ourselves back out there.”
In contrast to a tough season so far, the girls’ team earned a win against Cushing last Wednesday. “The scores may not necessarily show it, but we are a hardworking team that is working on getting better every single day. We’ve had a few losses, but I’ve already been seeing a lot of improvement even if that isn’t reflected in the outcome,” Lei added.
Going forward, the team is planning on developing its communication skills, being more attentive on the court and delivering smarter passes and plays. “We want everyone hitting the floor for loose balls or taking a charge,” Lei explained. “I think we’re doing well with this so far. Last game, we had three girls on the floor at once.” Lucey mentioned that she is “excited to continue to play and improve as an individual player, but also excited for [her] team to continue to get better and improve, which will allow [them] to compete more against tougher competition.”
The Exeter girls’ varsity basketball team will be travelling to Brewster Academy on Saturday. Their next home game is next Wednesday against Bradford Christian Academy at 4:30 p.m. The team will be looking to see their hard work come into fruition and secure a win.