While it was sweltering inside Rockne Hall this summer, the Zephyr girls basketball team found themselves nearly as hot as the temperature inside.

Head coach Rick Worman said the girls "had a pretty good summer" as they participated in three events, beginning with the Allentown Central Catholic Summer League. They also traveled to other schools in the area, playing the equivalent of a full winter schedule, said Worman.

They kicked off this sultry summer playing inside Central's storied gym, and ended up winning over half of their games. That was followed by a hot run in the Stellar Tournament, and an equally smoldering showing at Lehigh Valley SportsFest.

When they took final inventory, Worman said they consistently played good basketball which turned into a successful summer.

Perhaps the brightest aspect of the summer was seeing the young players get some experience playing with the varsity at the various tournaments. Worman said that a number of players saw substantial minutes and he's hopeful that will bode well for the upcoming season.

"It was a chance for a lot of younger kids to get a lot of varsity experience," said Worman.

Among those young players who saw significant minutes were Taylor George, Ivanna Jones and Jill Rex. These incoming freshman got to play a lot of basketball and showed signs they could step in and help the varsity this winter.

Worman said that sophomores-to-be Leanna Cruz and Karly Klein also made an impact this summer. He also said that these two classes were able to get playing time in both junior varsity and varsity games, adding to their court experience.

Leading the way this summer was Nicole Umbenhauer who had a productive off-season, according to Worman.

"She played particularly well this summer," said Worman. "She was our leading scorer."

Also opening some eyes was Brook Mellinger who established a presence inside, something that will be needed once Lehigh Valley Conference action begins.

"She had some good moments for us this summer," said Worman.

Worman also saw the benefit of having Madison Kelly on the court. He said they become a different team when she's in the backcourt, keeping everyone involved and using her varsity experience to manage the game.

"Madison really makes us a lot better," said Worman.

Worman also liked the contributions from his varsity contingent as Brianna Walker, Kelly Erie and Kelly Spanitz, all helped make it a scintillating summer.

Additionally, underclassman Sarah Schannauer was another player who was instrumental in helping the Zephs have a winning summer.

Worman said that the team won four consecutive games at Stellar and were among the last four teams vying for the championship at SportsFest, but were derailed by a mass vacation exodus, leaving them depleted. With a full contingent of players, Worman was confident they had a shot at the title.

"I thought we were probably good enough to win the tournament," said Worman.

Worman believes their success this summer was a product of having good balance. They were able to get a number of players involved offensively, and that made for a versatile attack.

As for the upcoming year, Worman thinks this group has a lot of potential. He has a strong combination of youth and veterans that should make for a promising winter.

"It will be an interesting mix of experience and younger players," said Worman. "We have the chance to be pretty good."