Boys’ Basketball Falls to Cushing
The boys’ varsity basketball team played at home against Cushing Academy this past Saturday. The team battled hard, but ultimately lost 58-65 to the Cushing team. With this loss, Exeter’s record lowered to 14-5.
Although Exeter did not win the game, the loss was a learning experience. Co-captain and senior James Foye said, “Cushing was a really talented team and we put up a good fight, but we just didn’t make enough plays to win. It was a tough loss to take, but we watched the film as a team and learned a lot of things that will help us in the rest of our games.”
Exeter played Cushing, a top team in the Class AA division, very closely. Senior Max Kirsch said, “They were very athletic, good in size and had two very talented guards who made everything happen.”
Cushing’s point guard, Makai Ashton-Langford, is ranked as the 33rd player in the nation for all juniors on ESPN, and their second guard, Wabissa Bede, holds scholarship offers from UMass, Providence and Rhode Island. Facing these two players on Cushing was a challenge for Exeter.
Big Red went into the game with a lot of energy and focus. Defensively, the team had maintained the Bede and Ashton-Langford duo for a good part of the first half. On offense, senior Perry DeLorenzo scored the first eight points of the game, giving Exeter a quick 8-0 lead. Ashton-Langford and Bede started to heat up and scored more consistently towards the end of the first half. As they scored, Exeter was able to counter offensively, keeping a steady lead of about three to six points.
“In the last ten minutes Cushing’s athleticism kicked in and they were able to make a push that we were unable to match.”
In the first half, Foye made a few key drives, and was able to kick the ball out to the arc well. Co-captain and senior Max Kirsch also made some big shots, and drew some important fouls from the big men in the interior.
The team went into the second half with a four point lead. Exeter was able to keep their lead until there was about ten minutes left. Senior Tommy Mobley explained, “In the last ten minutes Cushing’s athleticism kicked in and they were able to make a push that we were unable to match.”
During that run, Ashton-Langford scored multiple times, and Cushing took their first lead of the game. Cushing stayed on top of Exeter by about 4-5 points for the rest of the half.
As the game went on, Cushing’s athleticism started to take its toll on Big Red’s energy. But Exeter did not stop fighting. Seniors Robbie Purdy and Tommy Mobley combined for four threes to keep the game pretty close, and with about one minute left in the game, Exeter managed to cut Cushing’s lead down to just one point. Exeter drove offensively, and Foye kicked the ball out to Mobley for the open three. Unfortunately, because of the onsetting fatigue, Mobley’s shot fell short.
As the time was dying out, Exeter was forced to foul in order to stop the clock. Cushing made their free throws, increasing their lead in the final seconds. Although Cushing ended the game with a seven point lead, Exeter’s loss came down to the few possessions at the end.
This Saturday, the team will re-face Andover at E/a, hoping to defeat the Smurfs like they did earlier in the season.