Choate Boys’ Varsity Basketball continued its winning streak on Wednesday, December 8 in a home game against Taft, beating them 50-42. Now standing at 3-0, the team has shown great potential despite several athletes playing at the varsity level for the first time. “There were two main things we did in preparation for the game against Taft,” Payton Garcia ’23 said. “First, we needed to make sure that we were in the right place mentally.” Second, as Garcia explained, Head Coach Drew Dawson showed the team videos of Kobe Bryant and Kemba Walker to demonstrate the importance of mentality. The clips suggested that the key to success in basketball is to, as Garcia put it, “believe in yourself and your team.”
These preparatory measures from Coach Dawson appeared not in vain, as the team showed great defensive tenacity as well as offensive prowess in their matchup. “We also watched a lot of film during the week,” Garcia explained. “We knew [Taft was] going to be a competitive team. Planning which plays to run and what defense we were going to come out in was essential to our success on Wednesday.”
The score remained close for much of the game, but Choate’s this preparation and depth on the bench eventually overcame the Taft squad. Taft came out with a strong press, trying to force bad shots from the Choate offense. However, an impressive display of composure and determination from Choate defeated Taft’s defensive strategy.
With dynamic passing and well-executed offensive plays, Choate was able to get plenty of good shots at the basket in the post and around the perimeter. Choate’s passing abilities, paired with consistent shooting ability, proved too much for the Taft defense as Choate started to take a convincing lead in the second period.
Choate’s depth on the bench was vital to the game because Taft’s offense was explosive at moments, which appeared to exhaust the Choate starters. “Me and some other guys on the bench have important roles on the team,” Alan Mashensky ’23 said. “Even though we don’t start, being able to come in and put in a good shift is really essential to the team’s success, especially against a high-energy team like Taft. I think the reinforcement that some of the guys were able to give off the bench was one of the reasons we won the game.”
This was the first basketball game the Boys’ Varsity team has had on its home court in almost two years. With Choate consistently hitting threes and a dunk thrown down in the first half by post-graduate Killian Gribben ’22, there was a lot of action to excite the fans. The energy from the bleachers both encouraged Choate and overwhelmed Taft, especially in the latter stages when Choate started to widen the score gap.
Undefeated, the team now looks to maintain momentum as it prepares for its next home game against Kent.
