Girls' Basketball Tackles Tournament
Standing just outside the three-point line, senior and co-captain Mia Glinn eyes the court for an opportunity to make a play. She notices an opening and calls for the pass from her teammate. As she catches the ball, she readies her stance and focuses on the basket. With the flick of her wrists, she shoots the ball out of her hands. The whole team watches in anticipation as the ball spins towards the basket in a perfect arc. Both teams rush towards the basket to claim the rebound, but Glinn’s three-pointer will not need one. The ball glides through the net with ease. The crowd roars, and Glinn fist bumps her teammates as the scoreboard adds three points for Exeter.
Girls’ Varsity Basketball drove to the Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) for an eventful Eight School Tournament this past weekend. They played two games, losing first to St. Paul’s School, 44-3 before coming back with a win the next day against Hotchkiss, 40-23.
The team had lost against St. Paul’s earlier in the season. “When we found out we were playing St. Paul's in the first game, we were super excited. We lost to them previously, but it was definitely a game that we could have won. We really wanted to win,” senior and co-captain Claudia Lee said.
After the tough match against St. Paul’s, the team was eager to reflect before its next game, pinpointing what it could do better while playing Hotchkiss. Glinn explained that the team headed into the second game with a focus on offense. “After our first game, I thought we needed to work on getting our offense more involved in our game,” she said. “We played very good defense, but we couldn't get our offense to be at the same level.”
Senior and co-captain Eva Carchidi added that she wanted the team to sustain its enthusiasm through a second game. “We knew that we would be tired after already playing one game, so one of my goals was to keep the energy up, which is already one thing that we sometimes have difficulty doing.”
Looking back and reflecting paid off. By examining what needed to be fixed before their second game, the girls took a confident win, dropping a cool 40 points against the Bearcats.
Lee noted how, even though the team was tired from their previous game, they were able to succeed. “We were a lot more fatigued, but we were hitting our three-pointers in the second half of the second game. Usually, we struggle scoring, but we were lighting it up on the floor.”
Glinn noted that the team dynamic seemed stronger in the Hotchkiss game. “Our second game was a lot more fun, and I think we were a lot more connected as a team,” she said. “We really wanted to get a win at this tournament, and we came out with that determination.”
Multiple teammates agreed, noting that Glinn especially showed grit on the court. “Mia Glinn had a great game against Hotchkiss. She popped off in the second half,” prep Amelia Byerly said.
Big Red Girls’ Basketball plans to keep up the momentum and energy in the coming weekend’s E/A games. They will face off against Phillips Academy on Saturday, hopefully ending off their season with a well-deserved win.