Oak Hall Boys Basketball Falls Short Against Eastside

The energy was palpable in the January night air as fans poured into the Oak Hall gymnasium to watch their seniors one last time Wednesday.

With it being the final boys basketball home game of the regular season, Oak Hall honored its five seniors with a ceremony prior to the game against the Eastside Rams. 

The seniors were presented with a ball and took pictures with family members as their accomplishments over the course of their four years were read to the crowd. This was an emotional moment to look back on the impact left by the class of players. 

Following that, the starters were announced, the players took to the court and the game tipped off.

Not surprising then that the passion of the momentous night was reflected in the energy of the game, both on the court and in the stands. A back-and-forth affair, the Eagles fought back from an early deficit to take a narrow lead into halftime behind sophomore Max Whitmer’s 10 points. 

A second-half explosion from Whitmer got the Eagles faithful roaring, has he scored 21 points after the break on four 3-pointers to net 31 on the evening and keep Oak Hall in the game.

Trailing by nine in the final three minutes, Oak Hall turned up the defensive intensity on the Rams by forcing several turnovers to create a quick 7-0 run in less than a minute.

But a costly missed free throw down the stretch and a couple of makes from the Rams (13-7) at the line were the difference in a 57-53 loss for the Eagles.

Despite the difficult loss, the Eagles seniors kept their head high, pointing to how this game is an embodiment of the team’s mentality.

“We kept it close, we stuck together,” praised senior Paul Thur de Koos. “[We fought] together to the very end.” 

The Oak Hall players shined light on the lack of quit on the Eagles roster. 

“Our resilience stands out, just fighting to the end,” senior Cameron Currier said. “These guys never give up on each other.”

In every answer the Eagles gave, in every possession the Eagles played, that word resilience seemed to be at the forefront. The team’s never-say-die mentality kept it in the game Wednesday night and has carried it to an 12-10 record after winning at Bronson, 70-48, on Thursday and the opportunity to return home Tuesday to host a 2A-District 2 Tournament opener against the St. Augustine St. Joseph Academy Flashes (6-14).

2026 FHSAA Boys Basketball District Tournaments 2A District 2

Category: Eastside High School, High School Sports, Oak Hall High School