It was a see-saw game when the Whitehall boys basketball team traveled to Bethlehem Catholic High School, but at the buzzer the Hawks found themselves perched atop the scoreboard thanks to some clutch free throws at the end.

Their accuracy from the line made the difference as they upended the Zephs 58-52, going a perfect 16-16 to deal Whitehall its second league loss. Conversely, the Zephs were only 13-21 from the charity stripe.

Even with that disparity, Whitehall had its opportunities down the stretch. They had two open looks that could have tied the game or given them the lead, but were unable to convert.

"We had a couple of good looks at the end, real good looks, but we didn't get them to fall," said head coach Jeff Jones.

Those missed opportunities were compounded by their struggles at the line as they went 4-8 in the final quarter.

The Zephs wound up taking five more free throws than the Hawks, an outcome Jones attributed to their aggressiveness, but their failure to capitalize on those opportunities opened the door for the Hawks to grab the win. That differential in attempts versus makes helped establish the margin of victory.

"That's a pretty big difference," said Jones. "We shoot a better percentage, it might be a different outcome."

When Gianni Sinatore stole the ball with just over a minute left, the Zephs were trailing by two, 54-52. As they ran their offensive set, they got Jacob Meyers free along the perimeter, but his jumper was off the mark.

Another opportunity arose with less than a minute to play when Freddie Simmons stepped out of bounds, but once again they couldn't convert on the offensive end which eventually put the game in the hands of Becahi's point guard Jamal Aziz who calmly sank four foul shots in the waning moments.

Jones said they gave a good effort against the Hawks, but had a difficult time stopping their penetration.

"We had a hard time keeping those guys in front of us," said Jones.

Simmons was the major culprit, slashing his way to 22 points. Aziz was another thorn in their side as he mixed it up among the bigs to score eight points, the majority of those on foul shots as a result of his penetration.

The Zephs had their own version of an unstoppable force as Brett Radocha once again led the way for Whitehall, finishing with 17 points. Radocha was working both inside and out, connecting on a trey as well as doing the damage from the paint. He also had some key blocks, helping to keep the Zephs within striking distance down the stretch.

Aaron Keglovits also had a solid game, finishing with 12 points, while Chad Rex's penetration accounted for eight points. Matt Melosky finished with seven points, while Meyers chipped in with five.

Jones said that there have been games when they've converted from the foul line, and games where they've struggled, and that can get frustrating. He said it's something they work on all the time, but there's always room for improvement.

"It's just a matter of working at it," said Jones.

With hardly any time to reflect on the loss, the Zephs played host to Easton Area High School on Saturday. The Red Rovers dealt the Zephs back-to-back losses, downing Whitehall 64-49. Whitehall established an early lead, taking a 22-20 lead into halftime. But the Red Rovers came out of the break to score 21 points, while holding the Zephs to 13 in the third period. That margin was nearly duplicated in the final frame as they handed the Zephs their third league loss. The Zephyrs record now stands at 9-5.