Boys’ Basketball Topples Tabor

Last Wednesday, the Exeter boys’ varsity basketball team traveled to Tabor Academy. The team fought valiantly and won 73-62, taking their record to 12-3.

Senior James Foye talked briefly about the significance of the win. “Tabor was a huge game for us because they were undefeated in class A before our game,” he said. This game puts Exeter in first place in class A, and brings their class A record to 8-1.

Tabor’s overall athleticism made them tough competition for Big Red. “They had a freshman point guard, Noah Fernandez, and a guard, Jeremiah Adams,” senior Tommy Mobley explained. “These two players kept us on our feet, and were difficult to double team. They were able to get to the rim and kick the ball out to their teammates.”

“Defensively we need to keep getting better at keeping teams out of the paint.”

Postgraduate Cooxooeii Black agreed. “Tabor was very strong collectively, and played very well with each other,” he said. Tabor’s offensive presence was especially troublesome for Exeter in the first half of the game.

Big Red went down early, but was able to quickly bounce back. “We started off hot, hitting our first six three-pointers in a row, and we went from there,” Foye said of the game’s events. “We ended up making 17 threes in the game.”

At the end of the first quarter, Exeter led 21-18. Tabor jumped on Exeter in the second quarter, making routine drives to the hoop. Tabor was able to take the lead back, and closed out the half with a score of 39-33.

In the second half, the team focused on being proactive defensively. Throughout the first half, Exeter’s squad allowed Tabor’s offense to dribble straight to the basket, and kick it out to the arc. The boys’ team also made attempts to get more three-point opportunities on offense.

In the second half, Exeter became a greater defensive presence, shutting down Tabor’s drives regularly. Big Red also started to heat up offensively; Exeter was able to overtake Tabor and maintain a five- to six-point lead for the remainder of the second half. The team bounced back from the first half’s events, and get a big conference win away from home.

Although Exeter’s shooting ability makes them a very difficult team to play against, the squad recognizes that at times they rely too much on their outside shooting. Foye explained that “offensively we need to make sure we don’t get one dimensional, relying on three-pointers.”

Foye also briefly touched on how the team could improve. “Defensively we need to keep getting better at keeping teams out of the paint,” he said.

This coming Saturday, Big Red will face off against Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts.