Northampton's girls basketball team is playing with spurts and sputters - and the sputters are hurting.

"We're not all mentally there," says Coach Jeff Jacksits. "We play like we're unstoppable for several minutes, then we seem to downshift. We're still a work in progress."

The Konkrete Kids had dropped their Lehigh Valley Conference and home opener last Friday, falling 38-34 to Whitehall.

The Kids built a 13-8 lead by holding the Zephyrs scoreless for over three minutes and took a 17-12 lead on a shot by Leandra Sterner only to go scoreless for the final six minutes of the first half as Whitehall tied the game at 17.

Then, in the second half, after Taylor George's three-pointer gave the Zephyrs a 22-19 lead, Northampton came back to take a 24-22 lead on a jump shot by Sterner and a three-pointer from Kayla Csencsits.

Zeniyah Sanders' jumper then halted a Whitehall streak of seven and the Zephyrs led 29-28 after three periods.

After Csencsits' shot gave Northampton a 33-31 lead, the Kids didn't score again Sterner hit a foul shot remaining and Whitehall took a 38-34 win.

"Don't forget we never played together as a unit," said Jacksits.

"We'll know where we are after our games this week [at Parkland and at home with Nazareth]," added Jacksits.

"We're not tough enough yet," said Jacksits, whose Kids played the Whitehall and Central Catholic games without senior center Ashley Brink, who suffered a concussion in the Kids' first game at Pleasant Valley.

Sterner, a junior who is the only returning starter from last year's 19-5 team, led Northampton against Whitehall with 13 points. Sanders added nine and Michele Dally and Csencsits had six each. Madison Kelly had 10 for Whitehall and Ivanna Jones added nine.