The boys’ basketball team (19–3) defeated the Bethesda Chevy-Chase Barons (14–10) 61–58 on Thursday night. With back-and-forth scoring throughout the game, the energy was wild both on the court and in the stands in this intense Battle of Bethesda. 

The Vikings started strong with a small lead in the first few minutes—but this didn’t last long. Countless missed three-pointers and slow defense from Whitman allowed the Barons to close the gap ending the first quarter 14–14. 

In the second quarter, the Vikings tightened their defense but lost energy on the other side of the court. Unforced turnovers limited Whitman’s momentum and hasty shots led to less possession time. The score remained close, but the Vikes trailed the Barons 23–22 at the end of the first half. 

The second half was more of the same, with constant back-and-forth score changes. Sophomore Max Williams dominated the paint, securing many floaters and easy shots for Whitman. On defense, senior Sean Curran took numerous charges, resulting in more opportunities for the Vikes and bringing up the team’s energy. Still, the Barons brought full intensity to this regional final. 

With less than one minute left in the game, Whitman led 52–51. The intensity increased as a jump-ball call from the refs resulted in a huge opportunity for the Barons. However, the Vikings pressured each player extremely well, causing the B-CC guard to surpass the allotted five seconds to inbound the ball, which gave the ball back to Whitman. Shortly after, a reckless foul against the Barons gave senior Titian DeRosa two free throws to widen the score gap to 54–51. 

With 0.6 seconds remaining, the crowd thought the game was in Whitman’s hands. Yet, a foul against sophomore Max Williams on a B-CC lay-up resulted in an and-one for the Barons, and the game went to overtime with the score at 54–54. The energy in the crowd and on the court was immense, knowing how important the game was for both teams. 

The four-minute overtime remained close, and Whitman held possession for the last couple of minutes. The Vikings were down by two with 34 seconds left, and a foul on Titian DeRosa pushed them back to a tie of 58–58. Just moments later, DeRosa got back to the line and took the lead 60–58 after a costly foul was called on the Barons with only 1.7 seconds left in the game. Finally, an intentional foul from the Barons on senior Evan Brown secured the last point of the game for Whitman. 

This regional win for Whitman pushes them to the state quarterfinals where they will look to continue their winning streak and face Springbrook at home, on Saturday, Mar. 8th at 2:00 p.m.