Boys’ Basketball Fares Well In Tournament
On Friday, December 19th, the day after most boarders departed for Winter Break, the Exeter boys’ varsity basketball team competed in the Seacoast Classic Tournament. The team decisively won their first game against Brunswick 67-53, with impressive performances by post-graduates Evan Crawford and Christian Lutete. Unfortunately, Big Red lost their second matchup on Saturday to Suffield 63-70. Suffield gained an enormous advantage in the post with the help of the 6”4’, 300 lb. Christian Wilkins, a football commit to Clemson, who spent part of his winter break playing in the Under Armour All-American game.
Although it was a close game, it demonstrated that the team still has areas they need to improve. “We need to execute better offensively and value each possession,” said head coach Jay Tilton, when asked what Exeter could do to step up their game to the next level. Tilton also said that the team will continue to get better at communicating on the court, as well as learning to trust what they do, both of which are critical components for becoming the kind of basketball team they want to be.
The next day, Exeter faced off against Nobles and Greenough School for the second time this season, winning by 10 points, 61-51. Big Red finished out 2-1, losing one game to arguably the best team in the entire tournament, Suffield. “We didn’t play our best,” said upper Max Kirsch, “but we pulled out with wins.”
Tilton was pleased with his team’s performance, saying, "We have worked hard to establish a team identity that will carry us through the rest of the season. We left the tournament knowing that we are a team that can be opportunistic off of our defense, but that we must play with a sense of urgency on that end of the floor.”
"This is a competitive, selfless group—one that wants to be good."
Despite the loss to Suffield, the team’s performance so far, a 7-2 record, as well as a devastating 94-10 win against Hebron, shows promise for the rest of the season. There is no doubt that Big Red basketball is a force to be reckoned with. "We are maturing as a team and beginning to play at a college pace, but consistently doing so on a daily basis is our next challenge,” said Tilton. “This is a competitive, selfless group—one that wants to be good. I'm pleased with our progress and how we've maintained the standards we have established as a program.”
Hopefully, Big Red will maintain their competitive edge as they take on Choate at 2pm in Love Gym this Saturday, and with any luck Exeter will continue to dominate all the way to another New England Championship.