The girls’ basketball team (14–6) defeated the Damascus Swarmin’ Hornets (18–2) 50–44 in the Vikes final game of the regular season. Whitman played one of their strongest games yet, defeating Damascus in a come-from-behind victory. 

Damascus led most of the game, and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Whitman started to gain momentum to earn a lead. Whitman could only manage nine points in the first quarter. With the offense lacking, the defense had to pick up the slack and only allowed Damascus to score nine points in the first quarter. The following two quarters were more of the same story and were pretty bland overall. The main storyline was how the Vikings were still trailing and needed a spark soon, or their playoff chances would diminish. 

The Vikes were still down, and the clock was ticking in the fourth. However, senior Caroline Reichert banged a long three-point attempt shortly after, which excited the Whitman team. After that shot, things seemed to change, and Whitman finally started stringing offensive possessions together. In addition, junior Olivia Hansel had a career game, recording 11 points during the victory.

Hansel acknowledged it was necessary to end the regular season with a victory.

“Coming into the third quarter, we knew we had to step it up because this game seed and this game was critical getting us into the two seed,” Hansel said. “It sparked energy after losing the last two games, and this was a good confidence booster going into the last game before the playoffs.”

Olivia Hansel is a news writer for The Black and White.