The Whitehall girls basketball team will be trying to buck a trend once district competition gets underway this week.

Just like the boys basketball team who will be playing Northampton this week, the girls lost both regular season games to Nazareth, their opening round opponent in the District XI AAAA Championships.

The Zephs will be looking to halt the Blue Eagles winning streak at two games so they can advance to the next round. Since Nazareth's in their division of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, the two teams are familiar with one another, giving the Zephs a good idea what to expect once they hit the floor at Northern Lehigh's gym on Feb. 20.

In their first meeting, the Zephs fell 44-32. It was a close game in the first half, but a scoreless third period sealed their fate. Still, head coach Dwight Repsher felt they played them better in that first game than the second meeting at their home court. They lost that game 34-19, failing to score in double digits during any quarter.

Repsher said that they didn't shoot the ball well in either game. Also, the Blue Eagles knew what to expect defensively from the Zephs having seen their match-up zone, but Repsher said they didn't know what to expect from Nazareth in the first game and that created a bit of an advantage for their Skyline Division foes.

Now, he believes he knows what Nazareth will try and do defensively and that will level the playing field.

Repsher has been immersed in game film as he prepares for the Blue Eagles.

He said that the tape revealed that they missed some people who were open. If they recognize where the open man is, that will help them get some open looks.

"We're in the process of making our adjustments," said Repsher. "If we execute things, and see the right things, we'll have a chance."

He said if they play well and make some shots, they can advance to the next round.

Nazareth enters the tourney as the No. 2 seed. They finished the year at 17-6 overall, 12-4 in the EPC. Whitehall enters as the 7th seed, finishing with an 11-11 record.

Repsher knows the Blue Eagles will pose a challenge. They're averaging a little over 52 points per game this season. Additionally, they lost to powerful Allentown Central Catholic on Jan. 4 by only a point.

They also have two players who made first team EPC All-Star squad this season, with Kassie Behler and Tessa Brugler getting the nod.

"They present problems for us, just like they do for everyone, because of their size," said Repsher. "They have better overall team size than anyone in the league."

That's been the story all year for the Zephs. They've had to contend with bigger teams all season. However, they've been able to make the postseason by playing sound fundamental defense in the interior, led by Karly Klein, Jillian Kreglow and Ivanna Jones. Jones has the ability to reject shots from much taller players, while Klein's tenacity and Kreglow's positioning have been keys to stopping players like Northampton's Aja Blount.

In the backcourt, the Zephs will feature leading scorer Taylor George (9.9 ppg) who was an EPC Honorable Mention this year.

They also have scrappy LeAnna Cruz who's a good on-the-ball defender, as well as Jill Rex who can sink a shot from the perimeter.

Their bench can provide a boost as well, with Alix Buskirk, Caylin Munn and Kelsey Munn adding depth.

Repsher said that they look to attack the Blue Eagles and see if they can exploit any weaknesses. They'll also come into the game healthy and that will help them as they try and neutralize the Blue Eagles.