Girls’ basketball’s senior night game grapples to find momentum

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Noelle Pryor

Girls’ basketball honored their seniors at last night’s game.

The varsity team played their Senior Night game against DeKalb last night. The game brought the Mustangs together as the regular season starts to close. The Black and Gold dribbled through the whole game and never gave up, but they endured a tough loss to the unstoppable offense of the Barbs 30-58.

“Senior Night is getting an opportunity to play with all the girls I’ve gone through high school with, say goodbye to the school, and move on to the next part of our lives,” senior Forward Chloe Kurkjian said.

The game tipped off as senior guard Nazuri Whigham stepped onto the court for the first time since her injury. The crowd cheered and gave her a standing ovation as she subbed out. 

Despite the rush of adrenaline, the Mustangs were on the struggle bus to stay focused. 

“It’s sad and disappointing for us, but we can get better as a team over time,” freshman Guard Raina Penttila said.

The first quarter started slow for both teams. Serenity McDaniel scored the first bucket for the Mustangs, but the Barbs quieted the crowd with two consecutive three-pointers. The score was low at the end of the first quarter and the Barbs were up 8-13.

In the second quarter, DeKalb started to pull away with the game. They drained two three-point shots right out of the gate. The Barbs had a decent lead on the Mustangs 12-36 at the half.

The Mustangs fought early into the third quarter with a Jada Samuels’ three-pointer, but as DeKalb kept draining their shots, the girls’ could not keep up with the Barb’s lucky stride.

The game wound down with little scoring in the final quarter. The Mustangs lost a tough one 30-58.

“We just did not have the focus that should be carried onto the court, ” head varsity coach Keith McIntosh said.

The girls will hope to bounce back against Naperville North this Saturday.