Head basketball coach Jeff Jones and his staff won't have to do a lot of scouting when the Zephyrs begin district action this week.

That's because their opponent isn't a mystery among the 12 teams battling for a District XI AAAA Championship. The Zephs hosted Northampton on Wednesday, past Press deadlines, making it the third time these two division rivals will play one another. Whitehall enters as the 7th seed, while Northampton occupies the 10th spot.

In their previous two meetings, the Konkrete Kids prevailed, using some blistering outside shooting to defeat the Zephyrs 64-51 on their home court in the last meeting. Their first encounter was more of seesaw affair with the Kids finally pulling away in the fourth quarter to win 39-34.

While the chance to vie for a district title is what's important, Jones would prefer an opponent who isn't as familiar with their defensive scheme as a team in their own division.

"Personally, I always like playing somebody different, people who haven't seen the match-up zone," said Jones, whose team finished 13-10 this season.

The Kids have seen it. Often.

Still, Jones will make some changes, tinkering with what they'll throw at the Kids to hopefully catch them off guard.

"We'll be throwing different things at them," said Jones.

In their last game, the Kids were able to drain buckets from the outside with Aidan Ellwood scoring 13 of his 19 points before intermission, forcing the Zephs to abandon the match in the third quarter.

That nugget has been logged and processed by Jones who may have a new wrinkle or two for their Skyline Division foe.

While the Kids stumbled at the end of the season, they still had a solid season, finishing the year at 13-9, and 8-8 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

They feature Garret Oplinger (12.8 ppg), an interior player who was an EPC Honorable Mention this season, and Ellwood (15.2 ppg), a freshman, who also was named as a conference Honorable Mention as well. Additionally, they have size inside with Alquinton McNeil (7.3 ppg), and another scoring option outside in Mario Delker (6.2 ppg).

The Zephs counter with their six seniors, led by EPC First Team All-Star Brett Radocha (13.7 ppg). He's aided by a strong supporting cast that includes guards Nick Hassler, Chad Rex and Jacob Meyers, while Saquon Barkley and Jake Buskirk can mix it up inside, both offensively and defensively.

They also feature freshman Mikey Esquilin (8.0 ppg) who has emerged as one of their go-to players this season.

Jones understands that Northampton may have a chip on their shoulder given the fact they were ousted from the EPC tourney by Whitehall despite beating them twice. That will make this game one of the more interesting matches on the docket once they tip off on Wednesday evening.

As they prepare for the opening round tilt, Jones will have his team ready, having installed those new wrinkles.

"It will be interesting to see how things will play out [Wednesday] night," he said. "We're looking forward to it."

It will also be a chance for the seniors to play another game on their home court, something they should relish, said Jones.

"There's got to be a sense of urgency, especially for the six seniors," said Jones. "We're hoping that sense of urgency pushes them over the top this time."