The basketball season is well underway at AE/MS. The boys and girls teams have begun the season with a lot of excitement and enjoyment in the games so far. Along with hustle and heart, the teams have taken the court with Eagle pride.
The teams have played a few games to start the season, including a tournament sponsored by the Andover Lions Club. The girls ended the tournament in second place, and the boys placed fourth. The girls played a triple-overtime game to get into the championship match. The Lady Eagles were able to hold off a late-charging Kearsarge team to win by three points.
Both AE/MS teams were on the road for their first games of the season, playing against Plainfield Middle School. Both teams began their games a little slow and created a large deficit.
The girls played well together, as a true team should. They showed excellent passing and great defense in the last three quarters but just could not pull back to a lead.
The boys created the same challenge for themselves. In the second half, they turned it up but just could not get back the points needed to overcome the first quarter deficit.
Both teams never gave up, which showed a lot of heart.
Indian River
Next, the teams traveled to Indian River to face a well-skilled team on its home court.
The girls were faced with a full-court press for most of the game. Using the passing skills they have been working on in practice, they showed great success keeping up with Indian River. Late in the fourth quarter, foul trouble with several players ended any chance the Lady Eagles had in pulling out a victory.
The boys matched up well against the Indian River boys. The game stayed within four points between the teams until the end. In the fourth quarter, Indian River converted three key steals to pull out a win.
Plainfield Tigers At AE/MS
The Eagles basketball teams hosted their first home games when the Plainfield Tigers came ready to play.
The AE/MS girls battled back after a slow first quarter start to take the lead. The Lady Eagles seemed to have their defense and offense working well, as they maintained the lead through the fourth quarter to win by two points. This was one of the girl’s most exciting games. Great teamwork carried them to a victory.
The AE/MS boys lost a close one against the Plainfield boys. The game was a tie score at the end of the first and second quarter. Rebounding problems and few bad passes allowed Plainfield to build a lead. The AE/MS boys never gave up and moved within five points, but in the end, Plainfield’s size and speed was too much for the boys.
Sunapee
Next, the teams traveled to Sunapee. The girls started the game a little flat, then stepped it up in the second quarter. With the game tied at halftime, the girls started the third quarter with great defense. The game was back and forth scoring. In the end, the girls fell a little short of a victory.
The boys stepped up their rebounding game against a very quick Sunapee team. For three quarters it was end-to-end action. The boys gave all they had that night but came up short in the end, losing by only seven points.
Franklin
The teams followed up those games with another road game the next night at Franklin.
The girls showed great hustle and effort. The girls stayed within four points all night, but in the end just could not get past a very well-skilled Franklin team.
The boys made their game very exciting to watch, with excellent passing and great defense. But in the end, the team fell short of a victory. The boys have made major improvements in their skill level and have begun to “gel” as a team. The coaching staff has high hopes for the remainder of the season.
Sant Bani
The girls ended the week with a dominating win over Sant Bani. With amazing defense, the girls pulled out to an early lead and never looked back. Great leadership from the seventh and eighth graders on the team allowed the young sixth graders to step up to help make this a great win for the Lady Eagles.
Both teams have had a slow start to their season, but have been working hard and are improving their skill level with each game. The rest of the season will be full of some very exciting games. Come out and enjoy some excellent basketball. Please check out the school Web site for the schedule and updates of the teams’ great progress.
Boys Middle School Basketball Team
Eighth Graders
- Matt Braley
- Kevin Barry
- Brandon Babbitt
- Jared Duquette
- Hunter Bonk
- Jerimiah Proulx
Seventh Graders
- Alex Crucitti
- Collin O’Donnell
- John Maynard
- Cam Donovan
- Koby Perreault
- Alex Sargent
- Alan Thompson
- Luke Webber
The girl’s team this year has seventh and eighth graders playing. Several sixth graders stepped up to join the Middle School team this year to help with low numbers in the seventh and eighth grade.
Girls Middle School Basketball Team
Eighth Graders
- Chelsea Thompson
- Logan Farley
- Kenzie Emeny
- Kaitlyn French
Seventh Graders
- Kate Barton
- Gloriana Brown
Sixth Graders
- Lexi Emeny
- Sadie Duquette
- Haily Heath
- Sofia Webber
- Hannah French
- Kathryn Thompson