Girls’ Basketball Struggles Against Worcester
The varsity girls’ basketball team traveled to Worcester last Saturday to take on the Hilltoppers. Unfortunately the girls were defeated by Worcester, 39-73. Worcester had impressive 15-2 record heading into Saturday’s game. Big Red has struggled to win games this season, with a record of 2-14 so the matchup made Exeter the heavy underdogs.
The game against Worcester served as a big test for the Exeter team’s play. Upper and co-captain Ella Johnson noted that the team’s offense was effectively shut down by Worcester’s starting lineup, which included a basketball recruit to the University of Connecticut.
Regardless of the score, upper Samantha Weaver was impressed by the team’s mental toughness throughout the game. Heading into the game, the team knew that Worcester would be a tough to team to beat. “Even when we were down by thirty points, we kept playing our hardest. We didn’t give up, which I am extremely proud of,” said Weaver.
Upper Michaella McCarthy agreed with Weaver saying that the team played tenaciously for the entire game. “Worcester is a very talented team, offensively and defensively. Although we gave it our best effort, we fell short on the defensive end of the court,” she said. “We were unable to prevent their dribble penetration, and when we did, they were able to hit long range jump shots.”
Despite suffering tough losses during the season similar to the Worcester game, Exeter players have improvement significantly compared to the beginning of the season, especially on offense.
Johnson complemented Weaver on her play during the game, saying, “Sammie Weaver really stepped up making some shots from the outside.”
McCarthy attributed the team’s offensive improvements to their rigorous practices. “A lot of players got in off the bench, and they were able to put a lot of points on the board for us, something I credit to the frequent shooting drills we’ve begun to [do in] practice.”
Weaver further explained the team’s improvements, saying, “Over the season, our shots and rebounds have improved greatly. We have also been playing more cohesively lately.”
Much of this improvement has led players to be excited about their eight-team tournament at home this weekend. McCarthy said, “We can improve upon our transition game and the pace of play. We’re a fast team, and if we exploit our speed we’ll be able to rack up a lot of quick points. and hopefully, gain an easy lead.” After the eight-team tournament, the team only has two remaining games against Proctor and Andover.
Both McCarthy and Johnson believe that the tournament provides the team with an opportunity to get its revenge on some of the teams that it lost to earlier in the season, and demonstrate how much the team has improved in every aspect of their play.Weaver has high hopes for the team’s performance in the coming this weekend.
“We will keep fighting through every game no matter the score. We don’t have anything to lose, so I am hoping this tournament is going to have a classic ‘underdog takes all’ ending.”