As the final eight days of the regular season in high school basketball begin on Wednesday, Bedford’s two first-year coaches are relying more on their younger players.
But not for the same reasons.
Head Coach Ashley Kepaa’s girls’ team has lost two in a row after winning their first 14. And when they take the court against Concord-Carlisle Wednesday at 5 p.m., they will be without some key people.
Senior Julia Dearing is out for the season with a knee injury. Senior Katherine Vaughan is recovering from a shoulder injury. Junior Marina Greaney is out indefinitely with an illness. Junior point guard Sydney Poor is day-to-day with an injured knee.
“We have five players who are good to play,” Kepaa said: senior Allie Zorn and four sophomores who have seen lots of action but who usually come off the bench. The roster is bolstered by three freshmen, including two called up from the junior varsity.
“We’re going to deal with it,” asserted Kepaa. “I still feel pretty good about the situation. The sophomore class is pretty promising. It will be a good time for us to see the potential of Bedford basketball.”
The girls will be on the road Friday and have home games next Monday and Wednesday. Post-season play begins the week of Feb. 27.
Head Coach Anthony Halls’s 12-6 Buccaneers play the nightcap Wednesday around 7 against Waltham. Unlike the decimated girls’ team, the boys’ squad is replete with healthy players, including two younger Buccaneers who are stepping up.
Halls said sophomores Justice Buchanan and Camdyn Shoesmith are playing especially well at two different positions
The boys’ latest win was Monday, 56-52 over Lincoln-Sudbury. The Warriors erased most of a 13-point second-half deficit, much of it from the foul line. Bedford’s Buchanan and Max Alper with 13 points each and Dylan DiGangi (11) led the scoring.
Halls applauded the perimeter defense, particularly Jacori McNeil, Bryan Aweh-Kisob, Reidon Ford, and Matthew Kazangian. “There are a lot of times when I look for combinations, see how kids react when they go in,” Halls said.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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