Girls Varsity Basketball

The girl’s varsity basketball team is off to a great start this season, despite having a new coaching staff. A win over Dover this Tuesday (January 3) puts their record at 4-1. 

The team was sad to lose head coach David Sokolnicki (Coach Sok) earlier this year, but stepping into his role are several new coaches. This year, the team is led by co-head coaches Amanda Swizinski (Coach Swiz) and Sam Wuebbolt (Coach Weebs), as well as assistant coach Shannon Quinn (Coach Quinn). Previously, Weebs had been the varsity assistant coach, while Quinn and Swiz led the JV team. Together, they have led the team to several victories, with more to come. 

Last year, the regular season ended with a record of 8-10, and a playoff loss to Windham (37-45). In an article at the end of this pre-season, though, the coaches are quoted as saying “[The players] have all improved and are all working to make the right adjustments…We are running with a positive outlook and looking to be competitive this season.” 

This season, the team has done just that. They started out strong with a 3-game win streak, beating Londonderry (61-56) and Windham (69-53), as well as an overtime victory over Alvirne (38-43) thanks to a late three in the last seconds of regulation. Sophomore Ali Cambell made that shot, as well as several other key points to keep Exeter in the game. She has been a player to watch so far this season, helping the team to keep performing, even as competition ramps up. 

Another win came this past Tuesday over Dover (43-40), a close game where Exeter managed to hold their slim lead through the final seconds. The season’s only loss has been to Pinkerton. The team played hard for the entire match, keeping the score close. The game ended with a narrow 35-38 loss, a score much closer than last year’s 57-77. 

Key players include senior Emma Smith, who was named one of Seacoast Online’s Top 15 Players to Watch. She was named to the Division I all-state second team last year and was also a leading striker on the girls’ varsity soccer team this year. 

Still, every player has played an influential role in the past games, and this teamwork is a large part of their success so far. In an interview before the season began, Coach Weebs said that to succeed, the team would need “communication and energy on and off the court, keep pushing tempo and movement on offense, and confidence from all players.” The team has been succeeding on all counts and plans to keep this pattern for the rest of the 18-game regular season. 

So far, this season is looking up. With only four new players from last season, the team is looking stronger than ever, and ready for an exciting season.