Whether it's a shiny pair of patent leather oxfords, or a worn out pair of Chuck Taylors, the important thing is wearing a pair of dancing shoes.

Why?

Because the Zephyrs boys basketball team is heading to the big postseason dance again.

They clinched a spot when they dismantled visiting Pocono Mountain West 56-34 last Saturday, paving the way for another postseason run.

The night before they turned in a torrid fourth quarter performance against Northampton Area High School to inch closer to the playoffs.

Friday's 48-28 win put them on firmer ground, needing only a win in their final three games to secure a playoff berth. So when defending District 11 champs invaded Zephyr Gymnasium on Saturday, head coach Jones knew it wouldn't be an easy task.

"It's a huge challenge for us, but we hope to upset the district champs," said Jones.

Both snow and a shake-up were in the forecast as Anthony Bellucci blistered the nets for 19 points, igniting the Zephyr win. The senior guard hit four three-pointers, continuing his marksmanship from beyond the arc. Nicholas Shafnisky also had a good game, establishing an inside presence with nine points, while Chad Rex chipped in with eight, and Damon Meckes and Jeff Charles each had six.

Late season surges have become a matter of course for the Zephs who have now won three consecutive games. They seem to perform at their best when their backs are against the wall.

In the game against the Kids, the Zephs burst out of the gate in the first quarter, taking a 12-2 lead, but sputtered midway through the game, surrendering a 10-3 Northampton spurt that spanned the second and third quarters. The Kids run gave them the lead as the halfway point of the third quarter approached.

"It's unfortunately the way it's been for us," said Jones. "We seem to have a quarter where we have a difficult time scoring. Luckily we had a lead heading into the second quarter cause we had a difficult time scoring.

"We talked about coming out in the third quarter and building a little bit of momentum, and they ended up scoring the first six points. But I was proud of the kids, they didn't panic, stayed on course with what we were trying to do, and eventually pushed it up and took the lead."

Jones said it's hard to pinpoint a reason why the lulls occur, theorizing it may be their match defense takes away some of their aggressiveness.

"I don't know if that's what it is, or not," he said. "It comes in phases, so I really can't explain it."

That spark was provided by a number of players who made sure the Kids wouldn't be celebrating their third win. At the forefront of that effort was Bellucci who started draining buckets from the perimeter, finishing the game with a team-high 11 points. That second half scoring outburst was matched by Matt Melosky who chipped in with 10 points, one of those off a rebound in traffic to extend the lead to six points late in the third quarter.

Melosky was effective both inside and out, helping the Zephs overtake the Kids.

"He battled and made a couple of nice interior plays for us," said Jones. "We're looking for a spark off the bench and Matt was one guy who was able to give it offensively for us tonight."

Jones also said that Damon Meckes gave them some good minutes, battling on the boards. He finished with three points. Additionally, Rex had a good game, finishing with 10 points.