Whitehall’s boys’ basketball team has clinched a district playoff spot, and the Zephyrs will be looking to lock up a East Penn Conference (EPC) playoff spot as well.

The Zephyrs recently lost to Northampton, 35-32, but rebounded with a convincing 76-47 victory over East Stroudsburg South. The team most recently beat Nazareth 54-37 but lost to Parkland 65-55, Central 60-35 and Emmaus 54-40. They will take on Allen after Press deadlines. They then have games remaining with Northampton and Emmaus.

The Zephs are 13-6 and sit second in the 5A bracket, now behind Pocono Mountain West, which is 16-3. The Zephs are in a battle to make the EPC playoffs, sitting at 7-6, a half-game behind Nazareth at 7-5 and a half-game ahead of Pocono East, Stroudsburg and Northampton which sit at 6-6. Eastburg North is 6-7.

The recent victory over Nazareth ended a skid of three losses in a row and losses in four of the last five for WHS.

Against Northampton, Luke Keppel scored 16 of the team’s 32 points, and the Zephyrs had four players in double figures against East Stroudsburg South. A.J. Hines paced the team with 16 points, Gavin Roberts had 15, Talon Dogmanits added 11, and Keppel chipped in with 11. Whitehall was 16-for-21 from the three-point line, and the Zephyrs built more than a 30-point lead in the third quarter, invoking the mercy rule.

Head coach Jeff Jones hopes his team can reach its fruition at the right time. However, Jones is remaining cautiously optimistic through it all as the boys look to finish off the season strong.

“We are taking one game at a time and trying to get better each day. We aren’t looking ahead of our next opponent,” Jones said a couple weeks ago.

“If we keep progressing, we will be where we want to be come playoff time. Our roles are more clearly defined at this point from the summer, but we still have time to grow into these roles.”

Keppel, a senior, has watched his teammates stay the course.

“We have done a good job all season staying together and staying in the moment,” said Keppel a few weeks ago. “We all get along well, and it’s just fun to be together. Our approach has always been to just enjoy each practice and game for what it is. If we take care of what we need to every day, it should lead us to where we want to be in February and March.

“We remain committed to each other. Our growth from the summer to now has been great. Everyone has each other’s back, and we trust each other to always make the right play. I think our play has shown that it will never be about one guy. It will always be about us and what we accomplish together.”

“We have a big week coming up against some very good opponents,” added Jones. “Although our district spot is secure, we are fighting for a EPC playoff spot.”