Whitehall’s girls basketball team fell one point short, 43-42, in their comeback against Stroudsburg on Dec. 13 at Whitehall.

“Today, the girls battled really hard,” said Whitehall coach James Middleton. “I think, down the stretch, we executed really well. We just weren’t able to come away with the win. You’ve got to give Stroudsburg credit. Obviously, they were watching film, and they knew our weaknesses, and they did a good job of coming out and having a good game playing against us.”

Stroudsburg implemented its full-court press early in the first quarter and forced the Zephyrs into outside shots.

“We struggled against the press, we were missing some girls, but no excuses,” said Coach Middleton. “You’ve got to give credit to Stroudsburg. They came out with a good game plan, and those girls executed.”

Whitehall started its comeback late in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Zephyr guard Jaylene Wilson and four points by Keona Spooner as Stroudsburg led, 22-18, at halftime.

“It gave us a boost of energy that we needed,” Middleton said. “First quarter, we were missing some shots. We got good looks, but we were missing a lot, and then we had that spark. We have a really deep bench, so I was able to get some girls in to create a spark for us. Jaylene Wilson has done that for us since last year. She’s always been a spark for us. Anytime we call her number, she answers the call. She continues to get better and better.”

Stroudsburg’s three 3-pointers in the third quarter put the Zephyrs behind by nine, but Whitehall held the Mounties scoreless for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Wilson forced a steal and scored, converted on two free throws, scored on a layup, and sank two more free throws after intercepting a Stroudsburg pass to make the score 36-35, Stroudsburg.

Whitehall forward Jade Alvarez (15 points) gave the Zephyrs their first lead with 3:15 remaining.

“Jade’s our leader,” said Middleton. “To me, she’s one of the best bigs in the league, so we try to get her the ball. Sometimes we force it into her. She does a really good job of taking that role, and she does a really good job defensively. She’s our anchor, and she means a lot to our team.”

Mckayla Strunk’s 3-pointer put Stroudsburg back on top, 39-37.

Within the last two minutes, Alvarez was called for a walk while being tied up on the ground, but when Stroudsburg found themselves in the same position, a jump ball was called with possession going to Stroudsburg.

Alvarez tied the game, 39-39, on two free throws, and after Stroudsburg scored on four free throws, Wilson’s 3-pointer brought the Zephyrs within one point with 8 seconds left but not enough time for Whitehall to complete the comeback.

“I feel great about what they showed tonight,” Middleton said. “They had a lot of grit, and they showed that they can play together and fight back. We still have a lot of basketball left, so we’re not gonna quit. Our goal is to get to 11, and we have 18 games left.”