Boys’ Basketball Edges Out Bobcats

Coming off a win against KUA, the Exeter boys’ varsity basketball team continued its success last Saturday, beating Williston Northampton 38-25 at Babson. This brought Exeter’s record to 3-0.The close win came with many positives and contributed to the team’s strong foundation. Captain and senior James Foye said that this year’s team is “comparable in talent to teams of other years, so if we continue to work hard and get better in practice every day I think we will have success.”The game against Williston started off rather one-sided, with Williston quickly gaining a seven point lead. Williston’s captain Jake Ross scored all of its first nine points. Exeter’s slow start prompted coach Jay Tilton to call an early timeout, during which he subbed into the game seniors Tommy Mobley and Cooxooeii Black. Seniors Robbie Purdy and Perry DeLorenzo soon scored a couple of baskets, giving Exeter a lead of its own to end the first half. The second half of the game was tight—neither team took a lead of more than five points. The momentum shifted, however, when senior JT Thompson took two charges, which propelled the team’s success into the second half.

“We are definitely a team with a high collective basketball IQ that can really shoot the ball, but our biggest weakness is our lack of size.”

Although Mobley described the game as “stagnant offensively,” it demonstrated Big Red’s defensive ability as well as its determination to win. Only five Exeter players scored in the game. Mobley put up 15 points, Purdy put up 10, DeLorenzo put up five and both Black and Foye put up four.Despite the fact it was a low-scoring game, everyone contributed defensively. Mobley said th---at Big Red’s ability to hold a Class A division team to just 35 points was tremendous.The game against Williston, as well as the games against KUA and Bradford Christian Academy, reflected the team’s collective talents. “Our team’s strengths are shooting, sharing the ball, defense and energy,” Foye said. “I think we can really lock teams down on defense and then score on offense by spreading people out and knocking down shots.”Upper Mitchell Kirsch said that this year’s team is tough, both mentally and physically. “We are a team that will win games because we can physically hang with and dominate many teams. And mentally we will never break, which is a characteristic of good teams,” he said.Although the boys have many strengths, they must address weaknesses as well. Senior Max Kirsch acknowledged the team’s size disadvantage. “We are definitely a team with a high collective basketball IQ that can really shoot the ball, but our biggest weakness is our lack of size,” he said.This proved to be a challenge for Big Red against Williston last Saturday, and especially against KUA the week before. However, the teams' success and development has not been impeded. Max Kirsch said that “this team has a lot of potential… the right character and a solid foundation, so now we need to build upon it.” Next Wednesday, Exeter’s boys will play Milton Academy at home.