On the cold Friday night of December 13, students, faculty, and parents from Parker and Latin funneled into the DePaul McGrath-Phillips Arena for the annual “White Out” basketball game. This year, both the Girls and Boys Basketball teams played their cross-town rivals: the Latin Romans.

The stadium was filled with a sea of white on one side and a sea of orange on the other. Chants from each of the opposing students’ sections echoed throughout the arena. Students were decked out in school gear and displayed homemade posters and giant heads supporting their favorite players.

The girls’ team lost s to Latin 60-12. The starting five on the court were Seniors Molly Taylor, Lauren Rauschenberger, Estelle Heltzer, Jenna Erhart, and Anna Amacher. The Romans took an early lead 15-0. but the Colonels persisted. Taylor boosted the team’s morale with a steal and breakaway down the court for a layup, injecting spirit into the stands. 

POSITION and senior  Senna Gardner referred back to the play as a momentum booster. “We knew we were going to lose, but at that moment we realized we still had a lot to play for,” Gardner said.

The female Colonels left everything on the court, playing 32 minutes. 

The boys’ game began at 7:30. The team, led by new Head Coach Paul Semano, was looking to acquire their first “White-Out” win in five years. 

The starting five on the court included the four Senior Captains: Oliver Manilow, Pierce Ashworth, Gabe Rothschild, and Scott Ingall along with Junior Nick Skok. 

Parker took an early lead, outscoring Latin 17-13 in the first quarter, 15-6 in the second quarter. Ashworth asserted his dominance on the court, dunking on a breakaway early in the first quarter. He continued to dominate on the court as the lead scorer of the game with 15 points, closely followed by Manilow with 14, and Rothschild with 12. 

Skok and Manilow displayed electric chemistry, with Manilow assisting Skok in the paint with a behind-the-head no-look pass, eliciting a roar from the crowd. Parker also dominated on defense with 11 steals compared to Latin’s five. During the second half of the game, Latin attempted to mount a comeback, outscoring Parker by four, but failed to make up for the 13 point deficit. 

After each score, the crowds grew louder and louder until the final buzzer ending the game. Parker won  56-47 securing the first Parker “White-Out” win since 2015.