The girls basketball team will enter the playoffs with a record of 18-4 after beating the 4-18 Clarksburg Coytes 69-40 Feb. 20.

Since it was the last home game of the regular season, the match was senior night for forwards Dani Okon, Linn Bumpers and Lindsay Hershfeld, and guards Brittany Fleck, Justine Wood and Kim Durante.

Tributes to the graduating players included gifts, flowers and posters made by the rest of the team. Before the game, each player walked out onto the court, arm and arm with their parents, as Coach Kenah read a bio. After they posed for a few pictures, the game began, with the five seniors starting.

“Normally the five seniors aren’t playing all at once,” Wood said. “It was really fun.”

Okon took the jump, and the Vikes gained possession and immediately began attacking on offense. After several shot attempts, forward Linn Bumpers pulled an offensive rebound and was sent to the line. Her first foul shot marked the first basket of the game.

The Vikes worked well on offense, moving the ball around the arc and getting open jump shots. Guard Kim Durante, quickly followed by guard Justine Wood, got off good shots.

The Coyotes offense was messy in the first quarter, marked by long, hard passes by their workhorse point guard to a player under the basket. Though the passes were swift the players were unable to finish, leaving the Vikes to pull down several defensive rebounds.

The seniors rested during the second quarter, and the lead extended due to contributions from forwards Marie Hatch and Avery Witt, center Rebecca Ford, and guards Nicole Fleck and Marissa and Maddie Cannon.

The second half opened with the Vikes up 32-16, and all of the starters returned to the game, refreshed. The Vikes continued to push ahead of the Coyotes, working to get the ball inside. Forward Dani Okon sidestepped the Coyotes center under the basket and went up strong for a layup.

With a little over thirty seconds left in the game, coach Kenah subbed out each player individually, and they were accompanied to the bench with enthusiastic cheers from supporters.

The Vikes first playoff game is to be determined, but they are optimistic about their prospects.

“We all really believe in each other, in the team and in Kenah,” Wood said. “This is something we’ve been practicing for.”