Basketball Bounces Back Against BB&N

This Saturday, the Exeter girls’ basketball team faced off against BB&N at home. It was an exciting matchup, with both teams staying close, but it was Big Red that pulled away towards the end. In a high scoring 60-51 victory, the girls extended their winning streak to three in a row.BB&N jumped out to an early lead, but the tenacious Exeter team stuck with them. The opposing team was both small and fast, a difficult combination to defend. But once Exeter toughened up their defense, a couple quick baskets brought them back into the game. Lower Michaella McCarthy noted that the team was vocal and communicated well on defense, which allowed them to play as a strong defensive unit and make some stops. Great scoring opportunities came from Exeter’s defensive stops and they started racking up points.Whether it was draining jump shots from beyond the arch or banking in a layup, the girls demolished BB&N’s defense from all over the court. Co-captain and senior Peace Kabari explained the team’s offensive successes. “Our back door cuts got us a lot of buckets. We have improved on finishing strong at the basket even when we are fouled,” she said.Additionally, lower Sammie Weaver knocked down a couple of huge three point shots in the middle of the second half, which gave Exeter some much needed momentum to finish out the game with a win.Coming back from Christmas break and having only four days of practice made this game challenging for the girls. However, the hard work and grit that Exeter upheld throughout all four quarters was too much for BB&N and ultimately was the team’s key to success. Polk remarked, “It’s difficult to dig in mentally for a two week period and then take two weeks off, but I think now that we have a longer amount of time together, we’ve started digging in and working harder.”It’s hard for Exeter to be humble after another great win against a tough team like BB&N, but the team still has room to improve their game. The team thinks that boxing out for rebounds and hustling back from offense could both be better. McCarthy also mentioned that the team was slightly out of shape but will continue to work on its physical conditioning for the entire season with tough practices.Although Exeter had a brutal four game losing streak to start their season off, the team has bounced back and is on a hot streak. With all three of their victories being decided by nine points or less, the girls have been strong when it came down to the wire. Staying calm under pressure and being determined when behind has helped the girls turn their season around in the right direction. Now at 3-4 for the season, the girls will return to the court to prepare for their away game against Deerfield next weekend. They hope to continue their winning streak and even out their season record.