Blair's girls varsity basketball loses senior night game to Whitman

On Feb. 11, despite Blair's best efforts to defend against the fast-paced Whitman offense, the Blazers lost 60-29 on their senior night. The whole team gave it their all, honoring the seven seniors as they played in one of the last games of their high school career. 

Before the game began, every senior was announced and walked down the court with their families. Lines of underclassmen surrounded the seniors as they walked, and their supportive cheers and applause filled the gym.

Starting with the tip off, Whitman had control over the game. They scored the first 10 points while Blair’s offense missed several scoring opportunities, which led to a Blair time out. Junior Natalie Frost was the first to score a point for Blair, her first two from free throws, then a three pointer. The Blazers struggled to get open on offense due to the strong Whitman defense, but by the end of the first quarter, they passed the ball more effectively, which scrambled Whitman’s defense. The first quarter finished as Whitman led 18-9.

The second quarter picked up in a similar manner to the end of the first. Whitman's offense was lightning quick, allowing them to score several more points. This quarter also had a great display of defense from Blair, especially through a critical block by freshman Safa Al-Uqdah-Robinson right before the first half ended.

In the first half of the third quarter, both teams had a difficult time scoring. Midway through, the Blair crowd was on its feet cheering, hoping to bring more spirit to the team, but the Whitman offense persisted. Their offense scored numerous three pointers while their airtight defense kept Blair to 9 points, bringing the score to 47-18 by the end of the quarter.

With the game on the line, Al-Uqdah-Robsinson started the fourth quarter with a spark. She stole the ball from the Whitman offense, dribbled across the whole court and scored on a lay-up. Senior Shiloh Burke soon followed with a lay-up of her own, and the entire Blair student section erupted in cheers. But as the game neared the end and a miraculous comeback seemed less and less likely, the Blazers started to lose some energy and dynamism. Eventually, the game ended as a Blair loss, with a score of 60-29.

Senior Ingrid Johnson hopes to learn from the game and improve for the future. "I think we did well. They're a fast paced team and I think we just got a little tired at the end, but we tried to work on our defense and blocking out the shots . . . we'll try to take what we learned from today into the next game and do better," Johnson said.

As the team transitions into the playoffs, Head Coach Jada Launi wants to focus on what the Blair team does best, especially with the high stakes. "[Our mindset] doesn't change. We keep doing the things that we know that we can do to beat teams, and know that instead of just having a loss and looking forward to the next game, it means a lot more because if we lose we're done," Launi said. 

Blair's next game is away on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Quince Orchard.