The girls basketball team lost to the 22-5 Baltimore Polytechnic Engineers 33-32 in the State Semifinals Mar. 7, ending its best season in years with a record of 21-5.

The Vikes had the final possession of the game, needing a three-pointer to tie and send the game to overtime. But Baltimore Poly played tight perimeter defense, forcing shooting guard Kim Durante to drive to the basket and make a layup as time expired, leaving the Vikings short by one. Durante led all players with 11 points.

In a game with gritty defense and physical play, the Vikes kept up with their opponents for most of the afternoon at UMBC’s Retriever Activities Center. In the fourth quarter, the Vikes pulled ahead 27-25 and had the momentum in their favor until shooting forward Dani Okon was called for a charge, ending Whitman’s run. Okon finished with eight points.

Baltimore Poly followed with a run of its own, scoring eight unanswered points, to lead 33-27 with under four minutes to play. But Whitman again stormed back, this time capped off with a three by Durante to pull within three points of Baltimore Poly with 1:15 remaining.

The Vikes held their opponents without a basket for the remainder of the game, but failed to tie the score. Baltimore Poly missed a free throw with less than a minute remaining, giving the Vikes one last shot, but they were unable to get the needed three.

Whitman struggled offensively throughout the game, going 11 for 40 from the field and making 32 turnovers. Fortunately for the Vikings, Baltimore Poly struggled almost equally, and could not get its offense going against the tough Vikings defense. Guard/ forward Teira Pendleton and guard Jasmine Smith led Baltimore Polytechnic with seven points each.

Vikings power forward Linn Bumpers went down hard in the third quarter, injuring her knee, and was unable to return for the rest of the game. Point guard Marissa Cannon and shooting forward Avery Witt finished with five and three points, respectively.

The game remained scoreless for the first three minutes, and Baltimore Poly led 8-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings trailed 15-13 at halftime, after a first half marked by fouls and stingy defense. Baltimore Poly pushed their lead after halftime to 25-19, their largest of the game.

The Vikings cut the deficit, but were never able to keep their short-lived lead, ending their successful season one game away from the state finals after beating two-time defending state champions Gaithersburg in the regional finals last week.

Though the loss marked the last game for Durante, Okon, Bumpers, Brittany Fleck and Justine Wood, the Vikings will return several key players next season. Most prominent include the Cannon sisters and Witt, along with center Rebecca Ford and Marie Hatch, who is a freshman.