After losing to Northampton for the second time this season early last week, the Emmaus High School boys basketball team was looking to finish the week on a positive note.

Battling to secure their place in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoffs, the Green Hornets staked to an early lead Friday against Whitehall and never looked back, taking down the Zephyrs 46-35 on their home floor.

“It felt great to get a big road win against a longtime rival, but what felt even better was getting us one game closer to potentially qualifying for the EPC playoff,” said Yoder. “Between the fact that we play in an extremely competitive 18-team league, and an equally competitive division, being in the hunt for EPCs at this stage in the season is a real tribute to the turnaround this group has made. We are not in yet, but we have a fighting chance, and that is really all you can ask for. I think the boys are really excited about that.”

It was a satisfying win for Emmaus (15-4 overall, 9-4 EPC) after a double-digit setback at Northampton three days earlier. The Kids (13-4, 9-4) have been playing great basketball of late and Yoder has noticed.

“I think [Northampton head coach] Coy [Stampone] has them executing at a high level, as seen by their nine- or 10-game winning streak,” Yoder said. “I can tell you, [Isaac] Harris is quickly moving up the ladder for my MVP vote, and [Lucas] Lesko has become a great wingman for Harris when teams try to take him out of games offensively. Right now, they are knocking everyone off.”

The Hornets’ Dylan Darville scored a game-high 12 points against Whitehall. Will Barber tallied nine points and both Jadis Brevitt and Wilson Charlot added seven points.

Emmaus will return home this week for a pair of important conference games as it will host Allen on Tuesday and Parkland on Friday, before finishing the regular season at Central Catholic.

“Our goal is to make these last four games about us,” said Yoder. “We are really just trying to continue to improve on both ends of the floor and be the best version of ourselves going into districts. Obviously, we are looking to squeeze out as many more wins as we can to secure an opportunity to compete in EPC playoffs as well, but I just want to see the boys continue to evolve as a team, which I have no doubt they will do. Between the coaches, players, and managers, we are enjoying every second we get to practice and compete after everything we have been through the last two years. It has been a lot of fun, and we hope that will continue, no matter what happens.”