Girls’ Basketball Defeats Cushing in Tight Match

ASHBURNHAM, MA – Exeter’s girls’ basketball team hung on for a 63-58 win against Cushing last Saturday. This win came on the heels of a brutal 59-31 loss against Tilton at home. The win now pushes the team’s record to 3-0 in games immediately following losses and 17-3 on the season.Big Red had to overcome the obstacles of traveling an hour and a half and poor officiating. “We had bad refs that kind of got in our heads. Calling fouls that weren’t fouls,” senior captain Nicole Heavirland said. “The game was close throughout, which did not allow the team to be distracted by the officiating for too long.The offense was led by lower Peace Kabari and upper Courtney Henrich. Kabari was able to use her athleticism to cut through the Purple Penguin’s defense, power through fouls and contact and finish at the rack. Henrich took more of a playmaking role. She exerted her effort towards opening up opportunities for her teammates while also being able to make plays for herself driving to the basket multiple times. The inside-out game also worked well for the squad. The post players were finding Big Red’s perimeter threats and kicking it out for spot up threes.The starters are not the only players that have contributed this season. “[The bench] has been very important for support and when someone is in foul trouble. I think a lot of it is pushing each other in practice,” Heavirland said. “With the postseason approaching, the bench should play an integral role in helping the team on their way to a title.”With only one game left in the season, there is not much time left for improvement. Despite an .850 winning percentage this season and the lack of time, there are still things Exeter could improve upon to help their post-season push. Heavirland said the team needs to work most on their mental game. “Even if we’re down by ten, being able to fight back. And not letting bad refs dominate our play because we can’t do anything about it,” she said.Before the playoffs even tipoff, Big Red still has one more game. They will be heading down to Andover on Saturday. This will be one of their toughest tests of the season and will serve as a good measuring stick as to where they are heading into the postseason. They barely escaped their last encounter with the Big Blue less than three weeks ago with a 52-49 win at home. The game was one of their rockiest games to date, as the defense faltered and nothing seemed to go the girls’ way.Heavirland said that defense will be the key to a win on Saturday in hostile territory. She is predicting a win, and also said that there will be extra motivation for her and the other seniors on the team with this being their final game against Andover pending a matchup in the playoffs.Others on the team are equally excited about the game. Prep Maya Blake said, “I know that it is going to be a fun experience and I think that the game will be a fun one to play in and a fun one to watch.”Henrich said that she predicts a 64-53 victory for the Big Red.We’ll see if any of these predictions hold true as the team closes out winter E/A with a 6 pm start time at Andover Saturday night.