The Vikings suffered an unfortunate loss in the “Battle of the Bridge” tournament against DePaul prep, but don’t let this distract you from the rest of their season. 

The Vikings, currently 5-1 in their season, have some of the most promising talents in the state of Illinois. With juniors Reid Olson, Yaris Irby, Hunter Gawron, Dylan Lam, Kaidan Chatham, and more, the team has built an extremely successful squad for this year, and for years to come. The team has also developed a strong sophomore class and has some incredibly solid seniors putting in the work for them too, holding down the squad. 

Although they’re certain to have a successful season, it’ll be hard to top their last season record of 25-8, a season in which they also won the Central Suburban League North (CSL) conference, sharing the title with Deerfield, who has since moved to the CSL South division. The Vikings ended their season with a tough loss to New Trier, who ended their season ranked #6 in the state of Illinois. 

Even though the basketball team puts in a ton of hard work to earn the results you see, they don’t forget to have a good time with it.  

“The basketball team is fun to be on,” senior player John Nueva said. “Everyone brings great energy and is very passionate about the sport.” 

The Battle of the Bridge tournament, held at Lane Tech and DePaul College Prep, is a Thanksgiving tournament consisting of some of the most prestigious teams in the greater Chicagoland area. 

The Vikings took three wins in a row, including a 63-61 win over powerhouse Lane Tech, to make their way to the finals, where they suffered a loss to the tournament hosts, DePaul College Prep, who were led by tournament MVP and former East Prairie attendee Makai Kvamme. DePaul Prep won the IHSA 2A State Championship last year, and are favorites to repeat the same feat. 

The Vikings, who boast a 5-1 record going into conference, will begin conference play against crosstown rivals Niles West, on Friday, Dec. 7., and it will take place at Niles North beginning at 7 pm. The Niles West Wolves are currently 5-2, losing to Wheaton North and St. Patrick. The theme for North’s student section will be Christmas and the same for Niles West. The team hopes that their peers will come out and support them as they take on the Wolves on the Vikings’ home court.