Varsity boys basketball defeated the Einstein Titans, 58-42, on Dec. 15, improving its record to 3-1 on the year.

The Vikings fell behind by two early and got off to a slow start against the Titans. The teams battled back and forth, and neither squad could gain the upper hand. Einstein put together a pair of 4-0 runs late in the quarter that built a 6-point deficit for the Vikings.

However, guard James Dionne hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to pull the team within three at the end of the period.

The teams continued to trade shots at the beginning of the second quarter. Guard Bryan Joel nailed a three-point shot that put the team up 26-25. It was their first lead of the game since the boys held a 5-4 advantage, and they would not give it up. Center Jeff Schaeffer closed out the first half with a  lay up that put the team up 28-26.

Joel started the second half with a steal and an assist to small forward Andrew Castagnetti, sparking a 6-0 Viking run. The team continued to apply pressure on the Titans and forced numerous bad passes and turnovers. The Vikings outscored the Titans 14-2 in the third quarter and went up 42-28.

Einstein came back to open up the final quarter with a 5-0 run to cut the Viking lead in half. The Titans came as close as seven points, but the Viking defense proved too much for them to handle.

An Einstein player became so frustrated and nearly assaulted one of Whitman’s assistant coaches. The player was ejected with two minutes left. From that point on, the Vikings closed the game out with an 11-2 run that made the final score 58-42.

Guard Jake Harrison came off the bench and led the way with 15 points, while small forward Daniel Voigt led the team in rebounding with 9.

“It’s great to bounce back from the Bullis game and get a tough win,” Voigt said.

The Vikings will take on the Richard Montgomery Rockets next at home on Dec. 17.

“Richard Montgomery is an important divisional game that we need to come out ready for,” Voigt said.