The boys’ basketball team (7–1) defeated the BCC Barons 72–71 Tuesday night in the Battle of Bethesda. The game was a nail-biter from start to finish, increasing anticipation from the large crowd at home.

The game was intense from the jump with both teams scoring on almost every possession. Whitman held a strong defense and gained a slight lead within the first few minutes. Going into the second quarter, the Barons came back stronger and weakened the Vikes defense. Whitman continued to lead throughout the game, but BCC trailed closely behind. Each team scored at almost every possession, resulting in a high-scoring game overall. 

Senior Hayden Walsh dominated on defense, getting numerous steals and stopping the Barons’ offensive drives. However, Whitman’s defense was not at its strongest, allowing BCC to close the score gap ending the half at a tight 56–53. The third quarter was extremely intense with the score tied the majority of the time, but Whitman had good ball movement and consistent shots across the court. Senior Evan Brown excelled in the paint, and Sophomore Max Williams executed on offense, gaining points off of many fast drives. However, the Barons stood their ground and fought back with equal pressure. 

This intensity carried throughout the 4th quarter, especially down to the last few minutes of the game. With 1 minute left, Whitman led 72–69. With 7 seconds left, BCC scored off a put-back bumping the score to 72–71. In the last seconds, Whitman remained strong on offense and kept possession of the ball. Max Williams mentioned that, despite some struggles, the win was earned through their hard work.

“I think we definitely need to touch up on a few things and there’s always room to improve,” Williams said. “We still got the dub at the end of the day, and we played well overall.” 

Whitman will look to continue their winning streak against the Walter Johnson Wildcats on Jan. 15, away at 7:15 p.m.