Boys Basketball

The boys played some of their best basketball to close out the season but narrowly missed DCIAA playoff qualification. The Penguins finished with a 6-9 in-conference record, putting them 2 games out of a playoff spot and 10th in the DCIAA, where only the top 8 teams make the playoffs. Their season isn’t necessarily over yet, though. Qualification for the Class A DC State Athletic Association (DCSAA) seems likely. As of February 2nd, the Penguins were ranked 6th in DCSAA Class A, where the top 8 teams make the playoffs (via @dcsaasports on Instagram). 

Over the last 3 weeks of the regular season, the Penguins went 4-2. The stretch was headlined by a nail biting 47-42 senior night win over Bard on January 24th. The boys went down 40-38 with just 1:22 left and only scored one more field goal the rest of the game, but they were able to edge out the victory by executing at the free throw line. Isaac Wallsten (‘27), Takhari Bates (‘26), and Paul Joire (‘25) went a combined 7/8 on free throws in the last minute-and-a-half, which - combined with strong defense - secured the win. 

The Penguins also beat DC International School (#5 in DCSAA Class A), Ron Brown, and Bell during the stretch. With states starting next week, the Penguins have nothing to do but hope they get a bid for the DCSAA A tournament. 

Girls Basketball

The girls went 3-1 over the last 3 weeks as they coasted into tournament play. Like the boys they beat Bard on senior night, but much more comfortably, with the final score being 58-11. The girls had similarly comfortable victories over Bell and Cardozo during the stretch, before dropping their last regular season game to Coolidge 47-36 on February 3rd. 

The girls finished with an impressive 13-4 overall record and an 11-4 in-conference record, good enough for fifth in the conference and a DCIAA playoff bid. The girls are slated to play #4 Banneker - who went 12-3 in the DCIAA - in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30 PM at Banneker. The winner would play the winner of #8 McKinley Tech vs. #1 Coolidge. The Banneker Bulldogs are heavily favored, as Banneker’s 12 wins include a fairly dominant 48-16 victory over the Penguins. But a Penguin loss is far from a foregone conclusion. After all, this SWW team hasn’t just been good - they’ve been historic. According to MaxPreps, the Penguins haven’t had a winning season since at least 2010. So to finish the regular season 9 games over .500 means a lot to this program. With seniors Sophie Whitaker (‘25), Joelle Barksdale (‘25), and Daria Flabbi-Fruterro (‘25) leading the team, and Eleanor Olesh (‘28) and Adeline King (‘28) establishing themselves as breakout contributors, the Penguins look stronger than ever. 

With the girls already putting up their first winning season on record, who’s to say they can’t beat the odds and go on a playoff run?