The 2023-2024 White Out games have concluded as both teams fell short in their competitions. On Friday, December 8 Parker’s girls and boys varsity basketball teams played at a new location, the McGrath Philips Arena, at Illinois Institute of Technology. The girls varsity team hosted the Mather Rangers and the boys played against Latin.
“The atmosphere was electric,” junior Gabriel Vilus said. “Even though the venue was further than DePaul, the court was nice, the fans were amazing, and I couldn’t have thought of a better venue for the Parker athletic crew to substitute in for.”
The girls’ varsity basketball team fell short by 19 points against the Rangers, with the final score of 29-48.
“Yesterday we definitely wanted to come out with a win,” said basketball captain Anna Swanson. “As a senior, it was really sad to lose my last White Out game.” Swanson remained optimistic about the team’s performance during the game and hard work for a tough start to a difficult season playing challenging teams.
“However, I wouldn’t say the whole game was a loss because we had some really great moments and got momentum starting into the second half and I have a lot of hope for some of our upcoming games to come out on top,” Swanson said.
The girls now have moved to a 0-3 conference record as they look to rebuild and refresh their campaign to get their first win as they will battle Morgan Park Academy on Monday.
The boys team lost to Latin by 19 points with a final score of 65-46. The boys are now at a 1-3 conference record.
Junior Malik Griffin started his first game in what is known as the biggest and most highly awaited game of the whole season. “It was the most intense game I played all season,” said Griffin. With the crowd playing a huge factor in the game which can lead to nerves, Griffin didn’t let that happen. In fact, the crowd only helped him. “The crowd made me play better. They only boosted my energy.”
The boys will rematch their rivals on January 26 hosted by Latin.
“It’s hard to lose to Latin and it sucks,” boys captain and senior Sam Forst said. “The team fought hard. The fans were amazing. The pieces are there, we just have to put them together. We’ll be back and excited to some revenge.”
Despite losing to Latin, the boys season is on the up after a promising win on Wednesday against North Shore Country Day. As both teams have gone through challenges in the season, the teams are working incredibly hard at it every day in practice, and fans are still rooting for a turnaround.
Both teams still have over 10 games to play in the conference before playoffs are underway. With the girls losing to DePaul Prep and the boys falling short to Wells High School to win a regional title, both of the teams will have a goal to go as far as they can achieve in the playoffs to bring home a regional, sectional, and the most desired state title.
