The boys basketball team’s record fell to 13–9 Tuesday evening after a 54–41 loss to the Wootton Patriots to close out the regular season.

The Vikings entered the game on a hot streak: they had won eight of their last nine games, and already secured a third-seed spot in the playoffs as of Tuesday evening.

Whitman jumped to a quick lead out of the gate, leading 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.

At this point, Vikings coach Chris Lun began swapping out starters in order to provide other players with time on the court.

“Lun didn’t want to risk injury for the starters,” forward Sam Kapner said, “so he limited their playing time and took them out early.”

By the end of the first half, Wootton had battled back to secure a 35-24 lead over the Vikings.

Still, Lun continued swapping in players until the final whistle.

“We stopped playing the starters early because we didn’t want to risk injury going into the playoffs,” Kapner said. “The game against Wootton was our senior night, but it didn’t really matter because they finalized the playoff schedule Tuesday night, and we already got a three seed.”

The Vikings play the 7–15 Walter Johnson Wildcats at home this Friday in the first round of playoffs. The last time the teams met, Whitman pulled away with a 73–57 victory.