Photos by Jim Marczesky Heathwood Hall's Joseph James loses the ball.

Mac Whalen scored 18 points to lead Heathwood Hall to a 44- 39 Senior Night victory over Cardinal Newman on Thursday, February 12.

The game was close throughout, as neither team had more than a six- point lead. The Cardinals jumped out to a 9- 3 lead early in the first quarter, only to see the Highlanders (20- 7, 7- 3) whittle it down to a two- point margin at the end of one period. Cardinal Newman (17- 6, 8- 2) pushed the lead back to five twice more in the second quarter, but Whalen and his brother Morgan hit key shots to bring the Highlanders back, and at the half, the game was tied at 25.

The third quarter was not for the faint of heart. The two teams combined to make only 2- of- 13 shots, both converted by Heathwood. Mac Whalen hit the first bucket of the quarter with 2:30 remaining, and Joseph James converted two free throws with five seconds left to make the score 29- 25 in favor of the Highlanders.

The Cardinals did not roll over and die just yet, however. Edward Dannelly scored eight straight points for CN to tie the game at 33 with five minutes remaining. And with just over three minutes remaining, Jake Motto scored to tie the score at 38. But Heathwood ended the game on a 6- 1 run, as the Cardinals went ice cold, missing their last eight shots from the field.

CN's Edward Dannelly dribbles by Heathwood Hall's Taylor Zurcher.

Morgan Whalen chipped in nine points for the Highlanders, who once again played without star Corey Littlejohn. Dannelly scored ten points and had four assists for Cardinal Newman, and Motto had another double- double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. On Monday, Motto found out that he was selected as the Most Valuable Player for SCISA Region I- AAA.

Ben Lippen defeated Augusta Christian on Friday, February 13 to pull into a second- place tie with Heathwood in the region. This necessitated a playoff game on Tuesday, February 17 for a second seed in the upcoming SCISA state tournament, which begins Saturday, February 21 for the boys' teams.