Whitehall's loss against Parkland last Friday officially ended the regular basketball season for the Zephs, but they'll have a chance for some quick redemption as they'll try to solve the dilemma of stopping the Trojans heading into the conference championship.

Inside a packed, the Zephyrs were looking to upset the Trojans who came into the game with a gaudy 21-1 record. They were also undefeated in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, and had earlier defeated the Zephs by 16 points.

It was going to be a tough assignment, especially after they fell behind early. They found themselves down by 13 heading into intermission. However, they started to chip away in the third quarter, with the Zephs gaining control of the boards, thanks to the relentless work of seniors Brett Radocha and Saquon Barkley. In addition to their work on the glass, the twosome contributed buckets as the Zephs went on an 11-5 run to start the period.

They were also creating turnovers during that span, with guard Chad Rex knocking the ball loose, and then finding fellow senior Nick Hassler for a lay-up on a fast break.

Jake Meyers also helped erase the deficit, stroking a trey from the wing to cut the lead to 36-29 midway through the period, and freshman Mikey Esquilin nailed a corner jumper to keep the Zephs within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter, keeping it under double digits at 40-33.

But Parkland always had an answer, whether it was Kenny Yeboah inside, or Devante Cross slashing to the hoop, the Zephs could never break that seven-point barrier as the Trojans held on for a 65-57 victory.

Head coach Jeff Jones knew his team was facing a dilemma when tackling the Trojans. They have players on the court who can score from the paint and the perimeter. They can also penetrate and drive, or penetrate and dish or kick, each scenario a difficult task that tests a defense.

"Yeboah's really strong inside, Cross penetrates better than anybody in the league, and they have three other guys on the perimeter besides Cross who can knock down threes," said Jones.

That makes defending them a nightmare at times.

"You can't defend everything," said Jones. "You try to take away penetration, and you're willing to give up some perimeter shots, because if you go out and chase, it's too far, and it just opens things up for them inside and allows Cross to dribble and penetrate more than you want."

Senior guard Meyers also understood the challenge of playing the Trojans.

"They have five guys on the floor at all times who are possible scorers," said Meyers who finished with 11 points. "You try and take away one aspect of their game whether it be shooting threes, or not letting them penetrate, and when you do that, you open up another area, and you become vulnerable in that area.

"It's hard containing a team like that, and I think we have to work a little harder on defense, but we competed very hard tonight."

In their first meeting, the Zephs kept the Trojans well below their season average of 65 points per game, losing that meeting 53-37. Friday's tilt saw the Trojans place four players in double figures with Sam Iorio leading the way with 22 points.

"I thought we played them really hard," said Jones. "We competed probably just as well as anybody has so far in our conference."

Meyers said they also needed to convert a few more baskets from the floor. A number of their shots, especially close, didn't fall, leaving the door open for the Trojans.

"I don't think we've had a game where we had so many shots go in and out like that," said Meyers. "But being able to execute, and come out with a little more intensity like we played at the end, in the beginning, them that will show a little bit of progress."

Jones lauded the performance of all his seniors who battled to the final buzzer.

"I'm proud of our seniors, I thought our seniors competed hard for what could be their final home game," said Jones.

That group included Radocha, (16 points), Barkley (7 points), Meyers, Rex (2 points), Hassler (5 points) and Jacob Buskirk (4 points).

The Zephs made it interesting at the end. The Zephs were forced to foul, putting the Trojans at the line. While Parkland was trying to ice the game from the charity stripe, Meyers and Esquilin kept breathing life into the Zephs by knocking down baskets, with Meyers sinking another three-pointer to make it 54-61 with 0.36 left.

"That's what good teams do; we fought and we fought and we fought," said Jones. "But we couldn't get over that hump.

"That's a hell of a team. That's a really, really good team."

With that memory still fresh in their minds, the Zephs will look to exact some revenge once the Eastern Pennsylvania Championships get under way on Feb. 9.

It may be another uphill battle, but Jones said what they've preached all season is simply competing, something they've done all season.

"That's what these kids do: compete," said Jones.