With reports of a historic winter storm looming, the Deerfield JV Boys Basketball team made the trek to Phillips Exeter Academy and delivered a dominant 71-52 victory. Behind relentless defense, fast-paced transition play, and outstanding offensive rebounding, the Doors put together one of their highest-scoring performances in years.
Deerfield trailed by single digits for most of the first half, staying within striking distance before taking control just before the intermission. The Doors’ aggressive and active 2-3 zone defense, a brilliant in-game adjustment by Coach Bicknell, helped stifle Exeter’s offense and shift the momentum in Deerfield’s favor. With excellent ball movement and second-chance points, they seized a 34-31 halftime lead. Exeter made a run, but Deerfield’s energy never wavered, and a dominant second half saw them pull away for a convincing win.
First Half: Will Machnik ’26 and Marty Rodriguez Pastor ’28 set the tone early, scoring Deerfield’s first 15 points with a series of skillful drives. Jay Rich ’27 added a highlight moment with a flying transition layup to make it 18-20. Moments later, Machnik found Sungmin Ahn ’26 on the break for a layup, tying the game at 27.
Machnik continued to attack, earning a tough and-one to put Deerfield ahead 31-29. To close out the half, Sam Peake ’28 knocked down a high-arcing three-pointer, sending the Doors into the intermission with a 34-31 advantage.
Second Half: Deerfield carried its momentum into the second half, immediately capitalizing on defensive pressure. Michael Hioe ’27 grabbed a quick steal, and Machnik slipped a baseline inbound pass to Teddy Hamadeh ’26, who muscled through contact for another and-one finish. Rodriguez Pastor followed with a three-pointer, and Hamadeh added another brilliant post move to push the lead to double digits, 44-34.
Coach Bicknell’s decision to shift from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone defense proved to be the turning point, as Deerfield locked down Exeter’s offense and controlled the pace. Rich extended the lead with two free throws (48-39), then set up MacGregor Hynds ’26 for a fast-break layup. On the next possession, Hynds corralled an offensive rebound and kicked it out to Machnik for a three-pointer, stretching the advantage to 55-40. Hynds and JJ Kicza ’28 continued to dominate the glass, with Kicza finishing a smooth lefty drive to push the lead to 61-42.
Hioe, who was a defensive menace all game with 12 deflections and three steals, made it into the scoring column with a finger-roll layup (67-50). Down the stretch, Hamadeh iced the game with two free throws, securing the 71-52 win.
Standout Performances
• Will Machnik ’26: 26 points, seven assists, strong leadership
• Marty Rodriguez Pastor ’28: 16 points, clutch perimeter shooting
• MacGregor Hynds ’26: 7 points, dominant offensive rebounding
• Teddy Hamadeh ’26: 8 points, multiple and-one finishes
• Jay Rich ’27: 5 points, strong transition play
• Sam Peake ’28: 3 points, big first-half three-pointer
• JJ Kicza ’28: 3 points, defensive intensity and rebounding
• Sungmin Ahn ’26: 2 points, transition bucket
• Michael Hioe ’27: 2 points, 12 deflections, three steals
With a 71-52 victory in the books, Deerfield’s all-around performance showcased their depth and resilience, while Coach Bicknell’s defensive adjustment proved to be a game-changing move. The Doors will look to build on this momentum as they continue their tough stretch of road games.