With the Whitehall boys basketball team trailing by as many as eight points midway through the third quarter in Friday's league opener against the Kids, they needed a spark to get them back on track.

That flame was ignited when they ratcheted up their defensive intensity, the result of changing their defensive scheme.

"The second half I'm going to give coach [Corey] Frantz credit for; we decided to play man-to-man, and that obviously was a part of it," said head coach Jeff Jones.

Their defensive intensity was complemented by a change in offensive strategy as well.

"On the offensive end, we felt like we have five guys who know how to play basketball, and instead of running sets, I told them, 'Just go out there and move the ball and attack the basket, and make plays,'" said Jones.

The Zephs carried out those instructions through the fourth quarter, outscoring the Kids by 12 points in the final period to win 47-41.

They began to seize the momentum when Aaron Keglovits connected on a three-pointer to cut their lead to four.

That was followed by Brett Radocha making one of two from the foul line as they began to build momentum. They finally took the lead when Keglovits found a cutting Matt Melosky for a lay-up to put them up 37-36.

It was a late surge as they were able to get into the passing lanes and get some run-outs.

Jacob Meyers led Whitehall with 13 points, the bulk of those coming in the pivotal fourth quarter.

"Jake Meyers made plays in that fourth quarter," said Jones. "He made free throws at the end."

The turnaround was spearheaded by Keglovits' play, with the senior also nabbing a steal that led to a lay-up. He set the tone for their comeback.

"Keg is our steady guy," said Jones. "He doesn't do anything flashy, but he does everything pretty well. He's kind of the glue to the team."

Jones also said that Keglovits made a number of plays early that helped them build a lead.

Keglovits finished the game with 12 points, while Radocha tossed in 11.

The Kids made it tough on the Zephs until the final buzzer, cutting the lead to three with under a minute left, a testament to their tenacity. Jones said they've been making strides as a program and expects them to continue to make progress.

Additionally, as a younger team, once the Zephs got the lead in the final frame, Jones felt it was a bit "demoralizing" for them.

However, they were able to make some big shots down the end to keep it close. The Kids were led by Garrett Oplinger and Piefka Stonewall who both had 10 points.

That meant the Zephs had to ice it at the line, and Meyers made sure they left Northampton's gym with a win.

"We were running our out-of-bounds plays to get Jake the ball," said Jones. "Chad [Rex] did a good job of finding Jake."

The win now pushes the boys record to 2-0.