Girls’ Basketball Cruises to Victory
This past Saturday, the girls’ varsity basketball team dominated Cushing in a low scoring 43-26 game. Exeter’s offense and defense were both consistently strong throughout the game, and they cruised to victory.
The last time these two teams matched up was last year, and Exeter won the game in overtime. However, Cushing’s team this year had seriously decreased in skill and went into the game with a record of zero wins and ten losses. Before the game, Big Red knew that their opposition was weak, so they were not too worried. However, the girls still took the game seriously because they needed a win to snap their losing streak and get away from a losing season record.
From the opening tip-off, the girls took control of the game with their great defense. Exeter built up an early lead and never looked back, leaving Cushing in the dust. The team made it extremely hard for their opponents to put points up on the board, forcing many stops. With each turnover, the girls found it easy to transition back down the court and get the ball into the basket. Lower Charlotte Polk and uppers Sydney Lamb and Bella Edo played especially well on defense, shutting down whoever they were guarding. The team allowed only 26 points during the entire game, setting a season record.
“Yesterday’s game was a great rebound from a tough losing streak. We hope to have found our stride again and are looking forward to Andover.”
Although Exeter’s offense has struggled for a few games this season, this was not the case against Cushing. The team faced some problems with the officiating, and co-captain and senior Peace Kabari expanded on this. “[We] worked really hard despite tough calls against [us]. We all did a great job staying positive and that kept us playing at a high level,” she said.
The girls put up a solid amount of points and continued to score even when the bench players were subbed in. Many teammates agreed that they enjoyed having almost everyone play in the game. Not only did it allow some of the newer faces to get playing time, but the starters were able to save some energy and rest.
The girls have had a streak-filled season, starting with four losses, then eight wins in a row, followed by five losses. Hopefully, this win against Cushing will continue the trend and allow the girls to win the rest of their games this season. Lower Michaella McCarthy commented on the team’s thoughts after the game. “Yesterday’s game was a great rebound from a tough losing streak. We hope to have found our stride again and are looking forward to Andover,” she said.
With the regular season coming to an end, the girls have a few minor adjustments to make so that they can try to repeat their championship title from last season. Polk addressed the main issues that they will try and improve in the next couple practices. “We need to work on cohesiveness and ball handling, but I think we feel pretty confident,” she said. The team now has an even 9-9 record and has two more games left until the playoffs. This Saturday, they will have their rematch against Andover at E/a, and they will be eager to add another win to their record.