The season opened for the Patriots at Northwest on Dec. 9. In an upset, the Patriots fell 79-71. After starting the game off weak with an eight-point deficit in the first quarter, the team could not manage to come back. “Starting the season off by losing a game we should’ve won obviously sucks but as a team we made sure to understand to learn from this loss and not let it define our season,” senior captain Peter Stanton-Shepherd said.

Next the team had their home opener against Walter Johnson. Starting the game off strong with a 17-point lead by halftime, Walter Johnson never really had a chance. With around five minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots pulled the starters to see what the bench players could do, making the game end with a closer score. The Patriots ended up winning the game 74-55.

The Patriots were then set to play at Seneca Valley. After an incredible first quarter, the Patriots went up 19-7, making it their game to lose. Fortunately, the team kept up their dominance, winning the game 66-57 and improving their record to 2-1.

The next game was at home against Demascus. In a game that was winnable, the Patriots did not seem like themselves. They went down 16-7 in the first quarter, and it did not get much better after that. The team ended up losing by 20, 73-53, ending their two-game win streak.
The team was next home against Richard Montgomery. The game remained competitive till the end. After being down six entering the fourth quarter, the Patriots showed their talent by out-scoring Richard Montgomery by nine, winning the game 78-75.

In their last game before winter break, the Patriots hosted a red-hot Whitman team that was undefeated coming into the game. The Patriots did not let their record intimidate them, playing strong to start and going up three before halftime. In a low-scoring event, the team ended Whitman’s win streak, winning 56-50 and improving the Patriots record to 4-2.

Over winter break, the team participated in a tournament where they ended up playing two games. Although they were missing key players like senior captain Ryan McGraw, they still managed to win both games with authority. They beat Williamsport High School 70-48, and Patapsco High School 73-40. In an added bonus, junior starter Yassine Idrissa came home with the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player” award. Stanton-Shepherd and junior captain Taj Smith also made the “All tournament team.”

In their first official game after the break, the Patriots were set to host their rivals, Churchill. The highly anticipated game started off strong for the Patriots, winning the first quarter and everyone on the team shooting lights out, but it was too good to be true. After a combination of poor three point-shooting, rebounding, and free throw shooting, the Patriots lost the game 69-53. It was an unfortunate loss and the Patriots hope to pay them back come playoff time.

In their most recent game, the Patriots rematched Walter Johnson at their stadium in a dominant performance. Again the Patriots bench players got playing time to end the game, winning 71-55. With a 7-3 record, the Patriots look to face B-CC, Magruder, and Richard Montgomery in the coming week. “I truly believe this is the strongest team we’ve had since I have been playing at Wootton, and I think we can make a deep playoff run,” McGraw said.