Basketball Defeats Deerfield

This past Saturday, the boys’ varsity basketball team played away against Deerfield Academy. The boys edged out a victory, winning 77-67, raising their record to 13-4.This was a big win for Exeter, coming off a two game losing streak. Deerfield put up a strong fight, but ultimately Exeter came out on top. Postgraduate Cooxooeii Black said, “Deerfield played really hard and never quit. They just kept working up until the end.”The game was neck-and-neck from the start. For the first 10 minutes of the half, the lead bounced back and forth between Exeter and Deerfield. Big Red made a jump towards the end of the first half with upper Mitchell Kirsch and senior Max Kirsch scoring back-to-back buckets. This shift took Exeter’s lead to six points.Exeter carried their momentum into the second half, maintaining their six-point lead. Senior Tommy Mobley said, “In the second half Max Kirsch did a great job for us, scoring consistently inside.” Mobley went on to explain how the team’s rebounding improved tremendously in the second half, which limited Deerfield’s second chance basket opportunities. As usual, the team’s strong outside shooting presence also helped Exeter expand its lead over Deerfield.

“They played desperately, fouling Exeter players just to stop the clock.”

Deerfield’s shooting ability kept them close on Exeter’s tail, however. Max Kirsch said, “They spaced the floor and shot the three-ball very well. They never gave in and competed on every possession.” Black explained that Deerfield was very effective when they could drive in and kick the ball back out to the arc, giving them outside shooting opportunities.Despite Exeter’s growing lead, Deerfield battled until the end. In the last two minutes of the game Deerfield went all in, hitting four three-pointers. “They played desperately, fouling Exeter players just to stop the clock,” Mobley said.Postgraduate Robbie Purdy and the younger Kirsch were able to make some key free throws after these fouls were committed, stopping Deerfield’s comeback attempts. Exeter maintained their composure, despite Deerfield’s scrappy play, and ended up with a big win.Big Red’s win over Deerfield demonstrated the team’s overall composure and ability to perform in high-pressure situations. Exeter only has four games left before the Class A playoffs, against some pretty strong teams. Big Red hopes to do well in these upcoming games so that they can secure a good playoff seed.This Saturday, the team will play at home against Cushing Academy. It will be a good matchup, and Exeter hopes to keep their momentum and get a win.