The looks on the seniors’ faces were as bright as the gym, decorated and lit up with glow-sticks to celebrate their last regular-season home game.

The girls basketball Senior Night game (Feb. 25) featured back-and-forth offense and a struggling defense. At halftime, OHS was ahead with a score of 21-19. In the second half, Northwest gained a lead and won 44-35.

“We had a hard time scoring tonight,” head coach Mr. Aaron Bosch said. OHS went out in the beginning of the third quarter with defense that Bosch deemed the “killer” of the game. After a timeout, Bosch noted that the girls picked it up. “They [OHS] played much better,” he said.

Although defense was an issue, Oakville missed free throws, layups, and had a hard time keeping the ball in their possession. OHS turned over the ball 26 times in the game and shot 21.8% from the field.

The score fluctuated throughout the game. With less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, OHS was behind only one point with a score of 34-33. After that the Tigers went 2 for 8 at the free throw line.

“We had several chances to take the lead,” Bosch said. “They made theirs and we didn’t make ours.”

The disappointing loss did not take away from the significance of the game for the three seniors, Adrianna Wegmann, Taylor Ventimiglia, and Tina Haberberger. To celebrate the seniors’ basketball careers, glow-sticks were handed out to the crowd. The lights were turned off, and the cheerleaders and freshman and JV basketball teams formed a tunnel for introductions. The crowd waved and shook their glow-sticks, making the gym vibrant and neon. Each girl was given flowers, and posters, streamers, and balloons adorned the gym.

For Coach Bosch, these girls’ senior year has a big significance. He began coaching at OHS four years ago, so this year’s graduating class is the first group he has worked with since freshman year.

“All three play very hard. I’m very proud of them. [I] wish we could’ve had a better outcome for them,” Bosch said. “They’ve got a special place in my heart.”