Staff Writer With the second Parker game just a few weeks away, the Latin Romans were discouraged with record of 5-8. After graduating four former starters this past year, expectations were modest going into the season, but with a strong 2-1 start it seemed as if the young team had found a way to keep the winning tradition alive. Now, having lost seven out of their last ten games, they don’t have the momentum they would have like to have going into to their second duel with Parker. But, revenge can often be stronger than momentum as they hope to use that revenge to surprise Parker, who has a record of 13-4 and have won five out of their last six games. Junior Kyle Robinson put it simply, saying, “We just have to play better.” The Latin Girls Varsity squad, on the other hand, is off to yet another strong start, with a record of 14-2 and an average wining margin of 23.4 points, as they scored 70 points in their most recent victory against the Chicago academy – 12 more points than NBA’s Atlanta Hawks scored in their game on the same night. The JV boy’s basketball team is off to a respectable start with an even 6-6 record, coming off one of their better games of the season. After getting blown out by Parker in their first match of the season, the JV boys were poised and ready to get another shot to defeat their arch-rival.  There was plenty of excitement in the sophomore hallways on the day of the game, as the entire team was pumped and prepared to defend their honor. This game was a much different story then the first, as the Romans had hung with Parker, entering the second half down by just two points, led by junior Matt Roberts with 16 points. Down by four with time winding down, the Romans got the ball in the hands of the pure shooter, sophomore, Charlie Cox, who drained a three-pointer to cut the Parker lead to one – with five seconds left on the clock. The Romans had no choice but to foul Parker, as they hit one out of two free throws to seal a 40-38 victory. While the game does go down as a loss in their record, the Romans certainly showed Parker that they could compete on their level, as the JV boys look forward to their probable final match-up with Parker in the end of the year tournament. After the close loss against Parker, the JV boys’ next match-up is against St. Bens, and as sophomore Johnny Buchannan said, “As long as we execute – and by that I mean rebounding and attacking inside – there is no way we can lose.” While winter is a basketball-dominated season, however, there are many other sports that go unnoticed. With the varsity boy’s basketball team off to an uncharacteristic slow start; there has been speculation around the school that Latin sports have taken a tumble. That is certainly not the case. Both of Latin’s hockey teams are having great seasons so far, as their recent success have gained them school-wide popularity. For the first time in school history, the Latin Girls Hockey Team became #1 in state, and became one of the few Latin sports teams to capture that title in recent memory. The Boys team also had a strong start, and is headed off to Ann Arbor for a tournament this weekend, against other top schools in the Midwest. Next Friday, after the tournament in Ann Arbor, the boys hockey team will be playing St. Ignatius at Soldier Field, as the students cant wait for a chance to finally see their hockey teams play at a closer location. With only a couple of months left in the winter season, many Latin’s student-athletes are preparing for their sports in the spring. Several of the track runners have been working out at East Bank Club and keeping up their mileage in hope for a strong track season this spring. And baseball open gyms have already begun, making students predict there will be another fantastic year of Latin sports.]]>