Whitehall’s girls basketball team ended their season in the PIAA Class 5A state playoffs, somewhere seniors MJ Dunbar, Madison Pagan, and Ashley Figueroa hadn’t been before, and with a 40-10 loss to West Chester Rustin in the first round on March 9, Zephyr coach James Middleton expressed mixed feelings after the game at Whitehall.

“I feel bad for our seniors that we didn’t get it done for them,” the first-year head coach said. “They’re really good kids. I know Morgan’s gonna do well at Penn State Berks. Maddie’s a really good teammate and gives a lot of effort at practice. Other than that, I’m proud of the season. I just wish we could still be playing.”

West Chester Rustin’s Golden Knights shut out Whitehall in the first quarter as the Zephyrs’ first bucket eluded them.

“We had a lot of open looks. We just weren’t finding people,” Middleton said. “The ball wasn’t moving. Our offense was very stagnant, and we weren’t as physical as we normally are. Coming into the week, we thought we could win by being physical, but they took it right to us. They did a really good job with the press, and even though we broke it pretty easy, they had us playing fast.”

Rustin’s defensive pressure forced multiple turnovers in the first quarter, most on inside passes and others on shots.

Abigail Kneller drained a 3-pointer for Whitehall at the 5:12 mark of the second quarter, but other good shots by the Zephyrs wouldn’t fall, and Coach Middleton was forced to find alternatives at halftime.

“I tried to play a lot of guards because I knew they were gonna press, so I wanted to go small,” he said. “We just didn’t execute tonight. When we got down early, it was tough to come back.”

Jade Alvarez sank two free throws in the third quarter, and Dunbar had four points in the fourth quarter, including converting a layup after a steal.

Coach Middleton pulled seniors Dunbar and Pagan in the final minute to applause from the crowd.

“I knew the talent we had. I knew we were capable. We just made some mistakes...We didn’t have a great week of practice, and we weren’t prepared tonight. We didn’t get the job done, but I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” said Middleton. “I’m proud of the girls and their progress individually. As a team, we’ve got to come together, believe in each other, play for each other, and keep it rolling.”