It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Whitehall girls basketball team when they hosted Stroudsburg High School last Friday.

The Zephs took charge from the initial tip-off, opening up a 16-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, and then held off a late surge by the Mounties to record their first win of the season, 46-33.

Head coach Dwight Repsher has been adamant about playing ahead this season, something that eluded the team all last year. Their win demonstrated the importance of getting a lead as they used a balanced offensive attack to register their first league win.

"The one thing we wanted to do this year, which we didn't do last year, was start games," said Repsher. "We did that against Northwestern, and then got into foul trouble, and then we started that way again tonight."

The Zephs had six players in the scoring column, led by guard Taylor George who sank 19 points, including three buckets from beyond the arc.

George heated up in the second half, nailing a trey to open the scoring for Whitehall. She was also able to convert at the free throw line at the end of the game to seal the win for the Zephs.

George wasn't the only player hitting perimeter shots. LeAnna Cruz finished with 10 points, perhaps her biggest bucket coming midway through the final period when she converted a fast break lay-up to end a Mounties run.

Stroudsburg was able to trim the lead to nine, going on an 11-2 run to start the fourth.

They got some critical offensive rebounds during that stretch, combined with a full-court press that allowed them to cut the deficit. However, Cruz's two big buckets halted the momentum and got the Zephs ahead by double digits again.

Their ability to keep the Mounties from creeping any closer was a testament to their composure, something they'll need as they begin division play in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

"We have some things we need to clean up," said Repsher. "I wish we would have rebounded the ball a little bit better. But all in all, there were some adjustments to pressure I wanted to make near the end of the game, but I didn't have to because they kept their heads and then made their foul shots down the stretch."

The Zephs also got a big contribution from Jill Rex who finished the game with 10 points. Additionally, Ivanna Jones was tough inside, and was able to snare a key rebound late that helped stifle the comeback.

Before the game, Repsher was able to take the pulse of his team. He knew that their opening loss to the Tigers was something they wanted to erase.

"We had a little shoot around before the game, and I said 'You guys are ready, aren't you? You didn't like the outcome at Northwestern, and they said no,'" said Repsher.

Repsher believed they played well, especially how they reacted to adversity.

"I thought we showed a little bit of grit, a little bit of determination, and we executed things, made some shots, and got the win," said Repsher.

The Zephs followed that up with a win over Pine Grove High School the next day, clipping the Cardinals 46-26 to give them their second victory of the season.

In that game, Jones paced the Zephs with 12 points, while George added eight and Cruz chipped in with six. Additionally, Alix Buskirk netted five points in the win, and Rex, Caylin Munn and Jillian Rex had four points apiece.

The Zephyrs are now 2-1 on the young season and will look to make it three consecutive wins when they visit East Stroudsburg North on Dec. 16.