The girls’ basketball team (13–4) destroyed the Walter Johnson Wildcats 54–43 on Monday night.
Senior Olivia Hansel started the game off with a beautiful three-pointer. The Vikings brought the heat early, forcing the Wildcats into a bad start. Five minutes into the first quarter the WJ coach was already screaming at his players, unhappy with their defense. Junior captain Eva Leonhardt hit an incredible three-pointer, five feet outside of the three-point line to continue the upward streak. WJ continued to struggle to put up points, ending the first quarter 14–6. Throughout the second quarter WJ managed to catch up offensively, but still lacked on defense. Leonhardt was able to get another three behind the line as well as freshman Raquel Cruz made an amazing recovery three.
The Wildcats tied up the score 26–26 in the end of the second quarter, where they took advantage of the gaps in the Whitman defense. The Vikings came out of the locker room after halftime and decided to dominate. Senior captain Faith Gardner-Johnston came out with many great layups and defensive plays. Junior Kaylah Tchoufa was constantly on the boards, easily gaining back possession after a missed shot from WJ. Sophomore Leela Patel was incredibly agile on her feet especially when she stole the ball and ran it down the court for a layup three times in a row. The Wildcats continued to fall behind when the team was strong on their shooting game, especially with three-pointers. The Vikings ultimately defeated the Wildcats 54–43 to add another win to their record.
The Vikings will play the Wootton Patriots at home on Friday in hopes of defeating them for a second time.
Olivia Hansel is a News Editor for The Black & White.
