It is always difficult to beat the same team twice during a season, let alone three different times. But that’s exactly what the Emmaus High School boys basketball team did with Whitehall, defeating the Zephyrs twice during the regular season and then holding on for a 58-55 victory last Friday night at Emmaus High School in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference quarterfinal round.

The third-seeded Hornets followed that with a semifinal win over Pocono Mountain West, 61-47 on Monday, bouncing back after a slow start to take control of the game at the PPL Center.

The Hornets held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, but Whitehall rallied and pulled to within just three points with a chance to tie the game with under a minute to play. But two shots from behind the three-point line did not drop and Emmaus walked off its home court with the win.

The Hornets opened fast, outscoring the Zephyrs 16-8 in the first quarter. Whitehall responded and scored 12 of the 17 points in the second and trailed by just one (21-20) at halftime. In the third quarter, Emmaus had another eight-point stanza, outscoring them 22-14. It’s lead climbed to as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, before the Zephyrs made their comeback attempt.

Will Barber finished with a game-high 22 points and Jametric Harris also ended in double figures in scoring with 15 points. Jack Csensits added nine points and Teague McCourt contributed six points.

Unlike the game with Whitehall, Emmaus trailed early against the Panthers, falling behind by 10 points early but cutting the PMW lead to 17-14 by the end of the opening quarter.

The second quarter saw the Hornets come back and take a double-digit lead, outscoring the Panthers 22-9 to go on top 36-26 at halftime.

After West made it a bit closer in the third and only trailed by seven heading into the fourth, Emmaus buckled down defensively and only allowed five points to secure the victory.

Barber tallied 19 points and Harris recorded 17, including a trio of first-half three-pointers that helped his team take over the game. Csensits and Rafael Terrero both finished with seven points and Owen Hafner added six.

Emmaus will now play for the conference championship on Thursday night back at the PPL Center. The Hornets will take on top-seeded Parkland, a team they lost to twice during the regular season.

The Trojans got to the finals by beating Nazareth in the quarterfinals before beating Liberty Monday night.