For the past two years, a lack of shooting well and scoring has worked in unison against Whitehall.

After their recent 69-46 win over Easton in the opener, Zephyrs head coach Jeff Jones is confident the problem can be behind them.

“We have struggled to score,” said Jones, who will begin his 16th season at the helm. “Against Easton, we shot very well. We were down 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, and we scored 25 points in the second quarter.

“In the third quarter, we were able to open it up. We had a good balanced effort and played well.”

With the return of two starters and several other players who saw significant time last season, the Zephyrs should be in the mix and improve on last year’s 7-15 record.

Junior guard Luke Keppel is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 8.8 points per game. Keppel, a co-captain, had a game-high 21 points with four three-pointers against Easton, and he had 38 of the team’s 73 three-pointers last season.

Sophomore 6-foot-7 center A.J. Hines emerged as a force down low last season, and he is expected to heighten his game this winter. Hines averaged 5.7 points per game last year.

“The two of them learned a lot last season,” said Jones about his duo. “A.J. learned how to move his feet and get position. Luke has gained more confidence and will be one of the better shooting guards around.”

Senior point guard Aiden Parvel returns after spending last year at Northern Lehigh, and he will bring stability to the floor.

Co-Captain and senior 6-3 Gavin Kneller also figures to be a force, and junior 6-4 forward Gavin Roberts will be expected to be a presence on the block. Kneller added 13 points in the opener.

Junior guard Ethan Ringenberger had 14 points against Easton and drained four three-pointers in the process.

Fellow junior Braden Bashore and Trey Dogmanits, who both joined after the football team’s winning district run, along with freshman Seth Hoderewski already have helped develop a solid bench.

Defensively, Jones stated his team will likely move into a matchup from a 2-3 zone, and they apply some pressures in different situations.

With an impressive opening win before they played Allentown Central Catholic Tuesday after Press deadlines, Jones already has a different sense about the season. The Zephyrs will head to Bloomsburg Friday for a tournament.

“This one felt different,” he said about the opening-game victory. “My coaches told me that. These guys have put a lot of time into their games, and you can see what it can produce.

“This is a relatively young team with three seniors on the roster. But we have experience and we have to maintain our level of play and confidence.”