The Whitman Middle School girls basketball team, undefeated through the regular season and the playoffs, was trounced by Meany Middle School in the city championship game Feb. 7.

The Meany Jaguars outran and out-shot the Wildcats on the way to an impressive 61-39 victory.

Whitman coach Mary Williams said she is proud of the hard work and effort her players put into the season.

"The girls are happy with their season and I'm proud of them," she said. "They are disappointed of course because they came out here to win."
Whitman fell into an early 8-0 hole after the Meany defense forced a number of steals and prevented the Wildcats from getting anywhere near the basket.

Imani Bender got Whitman on the board with a lay-up and would go on to have a monster first half, scoring 10 of Whitman's 20 first-half points and contributing more than a couple huge rebounds.

Bender was named player of the game for Whitman.

The Wildcats found themselves behind by 11 at the half and would never pull closer than 10 for the rest of the game.

Williams said her team had a hard time keeping up with Meany on their fast breaks, covering their outside shooters and rebounding.
The loss in the championship came after a 30-point victory against Madrona in the first round of the playoffs and a 38-22 defeat of Washington in the second round.

The Whitman boys basketball team saw their perfect season slip away Feb. 5 in the second round of the playoffs when Hamilton was able to pull out a 60-55 win after a hard-fought game.