Just in time for the holidays, there was a blanket sale at Zephyr gymnasium when the Whitehall basketball team hosted East Stroudsburg North on Tuesday.

The blanket, in this case, was maroon and gold and fit snuggly over the Timberwolves offense. In fact, when applied to the visitors, it didn't allow ESN more than 10 points in any quarter, paving the way for a 54-24 win.

The Timberwolves, who were averaging 49 points per game coming into the contest, couldn't solve Whitehall's match defense.

When they got the ball inside, Saquon Barkley and Brett Radocha converged to block or alter a number of shots. And when they tried to swing it for an open shot from the outside, they were challenged from the perimeter as well.

The Zephs didn't waste anytime unwrapping their present. They jumped out to a 9-0 lead, as their match defense completely frustrated and smothered the Timberwolves.

Head coach Jeff Jones said getting ahead of an opponent early has been a point of emphasis this season.

"We always talk about getting off to a good start," said Jones. "When you get off to a good start with our style, it can be very frustrating for the other team. Once we get ahead, and the style that we can play, it slows teams down."

Leading the charge against the Timberwolves was Radocha who finished with 20 points, 16 of those coming in the first half as he helped the Zephs get off to that fast start. He was equally impressive on the defensive end, recording four blocks and grabbing a number of rebounds.

Radocha said there are a lot of demands on the five playing in the match, and whether it's him or Barkley manning the position, they each bring something different to the table. Radocha said Barkley utilizes his strength and athleticism, while he relies on his size to keep opponents from scoring.

While size helps, experience is another factor defensively for the senior center.

"I think my two years prior experience playing against guys bigger and stronger than me really helped me," said Radocha. "Now I'm at a place where I'm just as physical or more physical than other people, and I can use my length and my physicality to my advantage."

Radocha said that the coaches put them in good position to be successful in their defensive scheme, knowing where to be in each situation.

"Most of the time I know where they're [the opponent] going to be, and I can get into solid position before they can get it so I can bump them off or make it more uncomfortable to the point where they can't make a move," said Radocha.

Jones said before the season Radocha was going to be the focal point of their offense.

That was certainly true in Tuesday's win as he scored inside and out, closing out the first quarter with a trey to give the Zephs a 20-2 lead.

"We went inside to Brett a couple of times, and he was able to score," said Jones. "Guys would also penetrate and find him.

"And then on the defensive end, that physical presence inside and the way they were playing the match, he's doing a terrific job as our five man."

Jones said that to run their match defense successfully, they have to have a number of components working together. One of the keys to that is at the four spot played by Barkley.

"He's got to run from corner to corner, and he does a really good job of that," said Jones. "He covers up the middle, and the guys out front, our 1, 2 and 3, not allowing penetration, that's a big key of what we're trying to do."

He also said that when they ran plays, they were able to capitalize on those opportunities as well.

"We pretty much executed our game plan with exactly what we wanted to do tonight," said Jones.

The emergence of freshman Mikey Esquilin as another offensive option among a solid Zephyr backcourt contingent was in full force against the T-Wolves. He scored 14 points in his home debut.

Esquilin made an immediate impact, scoring on a fast break bucket just seconds after checking into the game. He was also able to mix it up inside among the bigs as well as knocking down jumpers from the outside.

"He's one kid who has played a lot of basketball," said Jones. "When he gets out there, there's not a whole lot of situations he not used to. But now it's just the speed of the game, and the length of guys being varsity guys. He's handled every situation that we've thrown at him so far."

The Zephs also got contributions from seniors Chad Rex and Jacob Meyers, both of whom finished with six points. Rex did his damage slashing to the basket, while Meyers burned ESN from the perimeter.

They also benefited from the play of point guard Nick Hassler who engineered that fast start.

The win puts the Zephs at 3-1 on the young season. Radocha said in order to maintain that success, they have to adhere to a few things.

"We just have to play aggressive and go after the offensive boards because that gives you five or six extra points a game," said Radocha. "We also have to make our foul shots."