Many have said that the Lehigh Valley Conference is a grind. Anyone can beat anyone on any given night.

That is exactly what happened last Friday night at Whitehall High School, where the Emmaus boys basketball team suffered its first conference loss at the hands of the Zephyrs 54-41.

"The one thing we talk about in our program, the conference schedule is a grind," said head coach Steve Yoder. "You're going to have your highs and your lows. You just have to keep your emotions in check. We always talk about being in a position to win. You're not going to beat teams by 20, but at least be in a position to win."

It was Whitehall that was in a position to win by 20 last Friday. The Zephyrs jumped to a 10-point lead after one quarter thanks to their hot shooting, especially from Tony Bellucci (22 points), who hit three first quarter threes.

"It's a marathon, and when you're running a marathon a lot of different things happen along the way," said Yoder. "Hopefully this will be a short ugly mile, and we make the next miles strong."

Emmaus (6-5, 5-1 LVC) could not find a rhythm offensively. Leading scorers Nate Feiertag and Derek Tannous combined to score one point in the first half.

Whitehall's full-court pressure forced turnovers and some sloppy play out of the Green Hornets. Emmaus made some adjustments, and cut a double digit deficit to nine midway through the second quarter.

"We made 11 turnovers in the first half," said Yoder. "We were certainly better in the second half. The funny thing is, we run the same press. So we weren't breaking our own press. The kids just didn't play well tonight, and they'll be the first to tell you that.

"I have a lot of faith in them. It's one loss, but we have to have two good practices and get ready for a good Parkland team."

On Hall of Fame night at Whitehall, the Zephyrs team played like they were worthy of an induction. Their lead ballooned to 20 after the third quarter, as the two teams stayed hot and cold from the field respectively.

Dan Brndjar (11 points) and Tannous (six) found a groove in the second half, but it was too little, too late. Joe Nicolini (10 points, five rebounds) put in a solid performance over the course of the night.

Emmaus will now try to bounce back after losing its first conference game. Some added motivation, Parkland comes to the Nest. The Green Hornets had a tough time beating the Trojans last year, losing three times throughout the season to their rivals.