Throughout the season, Whitehall’s boys’ basketball team has enjoyed the ride.

With their 69-62 victory over Allen at home Tuesday night, the Zephyrs won their ninth out of their last 10 games, and they raised their overall record to 16-4. The Zephyrs are the third seed in the District 11 Class 6A bracket.

Whitehall bounced back after a 57-42 loss to Parkland Jan. 24 that broke an eight-game winning streak.

Senior center A.J. Hines passed the 1,000-point career mark against Allen, and he has been the Zephyrs’ leading scorer throughout the season averaging 16.7 points per game.

Hines had 24 points against Allen, Talon Dogmanits added 17 and Seth Hoderewski had 16. He scored his 1,000th point on a one-and-one.

Head coach Jeff Jones was pleased with another solid effort.

“We led the game throughout with the biggest lead being 17 points in the second half,” said Jones. “We played mostly man defense in the first quarter, but we switched to a matchup zone in the second quarter and stayed with it throughout the game.”

Jones saw Hines play an all-around game.

“A.J. has been consistent for us all season,” added Jones. “We really have seen him progress through the years. He has developed into a one of the top centers in the area as well as one of the top players. He caught the ball on the low block, and he also assisted on many occasions to his teammates.

“It was great to have him do it at home. The list isn’t long for WHS to do it, so for him to join it is huge. He has grown from a young freshman starter to a senior force. The thing that is special about him is that he’s making his teammates better every night.”

Hoderewski was happy for his teammate, and cherished the evening.

“It was a huge night, and a night you wouldn’t want to miss,” gushed Hoderewski. “Tonight was a huge night for our captain, A.J., because he got his 1,000th point. But we knew we had to bounce back from our last game.

“We knew Allen was a strong and well-rounded team. Everyone played their part, and we fed off each other’s energy. There’s nothing like playing in front of a huge crowd at home.

“Overall, these past few weeks, we have been working hard to be where we were last year and even better.”