This past Friday, the Latin boys’ and girls’ basketball teams played at Depaul’s McGrath Arena for Latin’s annual family basketball night. The girls’ basketball team played Northside College Prep, and the boys’ played against Francis Parker. The girls’ game drew quite a large crowd. Heading into the game, sophomore Jane Agler said that she knew that they had worked hard, and “once it is game time, we will work especially hard knowing that our fellow classmates, faculty, and Latin families are cheering for us. All of the support will bring us closer to a win.” This year the girls are 13-6, and stronger than ever. But, it is a bittersweet year, as five seniors will soon be leaving the court. Senior captain Hannah Crane simply put it, “We’re really sad that this is our last game, but we’re going to go all out because of it. It only makes us want to play that much harder. “And the Roman Girls did just that, beating Northside with a final score of 61-44. As more and more fans filled the stands, the girls got stronger and stronger. The Lady Romans gained a huge lead in the first half and never looked back. Senior Bridget Cato led the team with 17 points. After the game, sophomore Alexis Stevenson said, “”We worked really well together as a team, shared the ball, and always trying to find the open person, and as a result I think we were successful tonight. It was one of our best offensive performances yet. ” The girls will continue to work hard, and prepare for upcoming games, such as the IHSA regional games on February 17^th. The boy’s basketball team has also had a great season thus far, and share the same attitude and belief that hard work pays off. Losing several key seniors last year, the team has beaten the odds and quickly created a strong bond. With many new players added to the varsity lineup, the men’s team hopes to stay robust and strong for the remainder of their season. After a devastating loss against Parker in their last match up, the boys were poised for redemption. This time around, the Romans were not going to give up the fight. The team was more determined and with a larger crowd and louder fans, they had their eyes on the victory. Senior Gerald Porter said that during this game, “We’re going to focus on playing the best we can and, most importantly, playing as a team.” After Parker took the lead for most of the first half, the Romans came back, going into the third quarter trailing by only three points. After halftime, the Romans emerged focused and determined. The game came down to the final buzzer – like any good rivalry should. And as Parker senior Luke McNabola’s shot clinked off the rim, the game was sealed, and Latin escaped with a 47-45 victory. In the midst of pandemonium at the McGrath center, it was amazing to see how far these Romans had come. With these amazing victories, I urge you to keep cheering on all the Roman basketball teams as they wrap up their seasons!]]>