Girls get a win over Allen
The Whitehall girls basketball team notched its first win earlier this season, and they’re now looking to get into a groove as they navigate the middle portion of their schedule.
That midseason groove reaped another victory as they defeated William Allen 49-46 in overtime on Monday evening.
The victory pushed their overall record to 2-5 on the season.
For their first win of the year, the Zephs upended Dieruff 50-25 on Jan. 28, getting great production up and down their lineup. Six Zephyrs cracked the stat sheet, with Joey Shaul, Ella Laky and Olivia Hines all finishing with double figures.
Shaul dropped in 15 points to pace the Zephs, while Hines and Laky each added 10 points. Isabella Fonzone finished with nine points, and Meghan Hutter chipped in with four, while Morgan Dunbar scored two.
That win was followed by a tough loss to Emmaus, losing by five to the Green Hornets, 26-21. In that game, Hutter was sizzling from the floor to start the game, canning six points that helped them earn a four-point advantage after the opening quarter. Her effort was aided by Laky who also added a bucket, and Fonzone who netted two free throws to give them a 10-6 lead heading into the second period.
They would only surrender that lead by a point at intermission, taking a 16-13 lead into the locker room.
But a strong first half didn’t translate to the final two quarters as they only scored five points the rest of the way, culminating with a scoreless fourth quarter that sealed their fate.
However, the Zephs bounced back in a big way with that hard-earned overtime victory over the Canaries. In that game, they excelled in the final two periods and the overtime. They scored 33 of their 49 points in those last three periods, catapulting them to the thrilling OT win.
Conversely, it was the Canaries who cooled off in the second half after a blistering opening two quarters that netted 27 points. The Zephyrs were able to slice Allen’s first half total in half during the final two quarters, but the Canaries’ strong first half enabled them to knot the game at 40-40 at the end of regulation.
The Zephyrs stepped up in the OT with a big three-pointer by Laky who also netted two more points at the foul line. Hutter and Fonzone also made productive trips to the foul line in overtime, with Fonzone sinking three-of-four, and Hutter one-of-two to help ice the game.
The win provided another testament that Whitehall has started to find some offensive identity. They continued to get strong production from a host of players. The trio of Laky, Shaul, and Hines once again hit double figures in scoring. Laky finished with 14 points, while Shaul chipped in with 10, and Hines netted 12. Additionally, Fonzone wound up with six points, while Hutter finished with four in the win.