Whitehall head boys’ basketball coach Jeff Jones won’t forget the number “seven” this season and likely for quite some.

Recently, the Zephyrs won their seventh game of the season when they beat Nazareth in the opening round of their holiday tournament. They lost to Upper Darby in the championship game and their record fell to 7-3.

However, the Zephyrs had an overall 7-15 record last year.

“After we got that seventh win, we talked about it and celebrated it,” said Jones. “But we’re not content with it. We only had four guys back from that team, and two guys who got a lot of playing time for us.

“We’re playing well, and we’ve liked what we have done so far. Since the first day or practice until now, we have been moving in the right direction. There is a good chemistry here.”

Jones has built a rotation that includes either eight or nine players per game. He has been pleased with the recent and steady contributions of Aiden Parvel, Sebastian Orochena, Seth Hoderewski, and Trey Dogmanits, all of whom have played key roles over the past few weeks.

The offense will focus around guard Luke Keppel, who is averaging close to 18 points per game and 6-7 center A.J. Hines, who is averaging 13.5 points per game. Keppel, a junior, has emerged as the team’s leading scorer last season, while Hines, a sophomore, has taken his game to a new level this season.

“I can tell him things and he does them,” noted Jones about his budding center. “He is shooting 60 percent from the field, and that’s pretty good for a sophomore.

“His play in the middle can change so much on the floor. Keppel and him see how they can make it easier for each other out there. Hines is one of the finest centers in the area. We have been designing more plays for him.”

Hines has placed the team in the forefront.

“The season has been going well,” he said. “We have had some good wins to start the season. We had an older starting lineup last year. This year, we had to adjust to playing with each other.”

The Zephyrs were back in action Tuesday against Allen and later were scheduled to play Pleasant Valley Friday. They have 12 games left, and eight of them will be at home. Whitehall played seven of its first 10 games on the road.

“It is nice to have a lot of home games,” added Jones. “We also have a lot of basketball ahead of us.”