On Wednesday, March 2, the Varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams left Kansas City and arrived in Baltimore, Md. for the annual Joseph Weiner tournament. Going into the tournament, both teams felt that this was their great opportunity to do exceptionally well.

“We felt confident because we had been preparing and practicing for this tournament all season; the Weiner tournament is what we play for,” said senior co-captain Cailin Coppaken.

The girls went to the semi-finals, where they lost to Ida Crown, a team they had previously defeated during the tournament in overtime.

The boys’ team had a more difficult time in the tournament. Their three guards, Josh King, Yale Cook and Ari Horing were all injured, along with forward Alex Claster, who went into the tournament with an injury.

“Despite Alex’s injury, we still thought we had a chance to do remarkably well, but after the rest of us got injured, you could tell that the confidence of the whole team changed, and we had to step it up a lot to go home successfully,” said sophomore guard Josh King. The boys finished the tournament losing a total of five games and left with many battle scars.

“The girls played well and fought hard from beginning to end, and I was proud of their effort and determination throughout the week. [With] a few bounces the other way, they easily could have won the whole tournament. As for the boys, they struggled on the court, and, despite their hard play, I feel that they didn’t play to their potential. The competition was also as good this year as it’s ever been,” said Head Coach Bob Hennecke.

Despite the unfortunate outcomes of the tournament, three players were named to the All Tournament Teams. Sophomore Katie Coppaken was named to the First All Tournament Team, and sophomore Katie Almaleh was named to the Second All Tournament Team. For the boys, senior co-captain Alex Claster was named to the Second All Tournament Team.