Underdogs: Boys' Basketball Crushes Cushing
Underdogs against an undefeated Cushing Academy team, Boys’ Varsity Basketball pulled off an unlikely victory, winning 76-68.
Not only did Cushing ride the momentum of an undefeated season; they are also an AA program, one division above Exeter. Despite these odds, Big Red dominated its home court and boosted its record to 15-4.
To prepare for the game, all players put in focus and determination during practice. According to lower Josh Morisette, the team simply “focused on ways that would make it harder on Cushing and easier for us.” The team focused on the game plan given to them by their coaches.
After watching Cushing’s game film, it was evident that Big Red was up against a good shooting team. In response, the coaches gave players alternate defensive strategies that would limit their opponents’ perimeter scoring and force them to drive the ball.
Upper Robbie Stankard explained that the coaches “always have full trust in [the team] to execute the game plan to the best of [their] ability.”
As game time approached, team energy was high. Morissette described the team’s mindset heading into the game: to be “the hardest team to play against.”
“In good basketball, anybody can beat anybody,” upper Lucas McEachern added.
The team knew that all it had to do to win was play its game. Senior and co-captain Jasper Ludington conveyed his own conviction to win, noting “it’s about what we’ve got to do.”
Stankard provided several shout-outs to his teammates. During the game, senior Neil Owens delivered a stand-out performance. “Going up against a high major recruit, Neil played exceptionally well,” Stankard said. “Josh shot the ball really well again, and it was awesome to have Niko back in rotation!”
As a whole, the team’s offense was fluid on the court; the players hit a number of different shots from around the arc and drove the ball to the net with force. McEachern highlighted their mental and physical toughness, pointing out that as a team they were all “playing really well and tapping into the level of play we said we would reach by now.”
Because of this toughness and high level of play, Ludington added that it was “a competition between two good teams, and we were excited to be competing and winning.”
With the season coming to an end, the team is now dialed in on playoffs. “All year, we have been working on one goal, winning the championship,” Morissette explained. “That is why we woke up for 6 am lifts all fall and pushed each other. We want to finish what we started.”
After winning the Class A championship last year, the stakes are high for the team. “We’re playing smart, efficient and together… and when we do that, we are a very hard team to beat,” Stankard said, adding that he has full confidence in the team’s ability to be the best in their league. Indeed, Big Red Boys’ basketball will be a force to be reckoned with on the court as the team heads into playoffs.