Boys’ Basketball Toppled by the Bishops
After a disappointing loss to Tabor last Wednesday, Exeter once again came up short against the Brooks Bishops last Friday. Despite the fact that the team has struggled recently and won only one of its last five games, Exeter maintained a resolute self-assurance. “Going into the game, the team remained confident, despite recent tough results,” post-grad Liam McKersie said. It turned out to be a close, hard-fought game, but Big Red was unable to secure a victory, losing 58-52.
Exeter started the game with a lot of momentum, dominating the Bishops’ defense. “We played a very strong first half,” McKersie said. Big Red’s size and athleticism allowed them to take control of the game in the first 16 minutes. In the second half, however, Brooks struggled back. Although non-threatening at first, the Bishops quickly tied up the game. Even with the entire team’s best efforts, Big Red never regained its initial confidence. As McKersie said, “[Exeter] played well in the first half, but ultimately came up a bit short.”
“We still have an expectation to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. We are looking forward to trying to make that happen.”
The loss, as a whole, can be blamed on the team’s failure to play reliably, according to upper Max Kirsch. “I think it comes down to being more consistent on both ends,” Kirsch said. “For the most part, we are really playing a good brand of basketball.”
McKersie is also concerned about the consistency of the team’s performance. He believed that Exeter could have won if they had only played solid, fundamental basketball for the entire game, not just the first half. “We just need to put a full 32 minute game together,” he said.
Head coach Jay Tilton echoed those opinions, saying, “We need to execute better offensively and value each possession.”
Nevertheless, the team has maintained a positive mindset about the rest of the season. “We remain optimistic that we are nearing that goal of playing a complete 32-minute game and playing our best basketball at the end of the year,” McKersie said.
When asked about the team’s outlook on the rest of the season, Kirsch said, 0 Of course, the team remains hopeful about its chances of winning a third straight New England Championship. Still, the team recognizes that the title is still far off.
“If we want to get to the Promised Land, we can’t forget about the day-to-day work and grind that will get us there,” upper JT Thompson said. Whether or not Big Red arrives at the Promised Land that is the New England Championship, the team certainly remains a major contender for the title.
Exeter will face off this Saturday against Deerfield Academy (1-13), whom they lost to 45-41 last year.