It's no surprise that the Whitehall boys basketball team will be playing another division foe in the semifinals of the District XI Basketball Championships.

What is surprising is their opponent.

Nazareth Area High School, an 11th seed, advanced to the semis by ousting sixth-seeded Liberty in the first round. They followed that by beating third-seeded Stroudsburg High School in the quarters, winning in overtime 68-65.

That run was preceded by a win over Northampton in the final game of the regular season, a game they needed just to make the district tourney.

The Blue Eagles are soaring right now, and that makes them dangerous. The two looked to make it to the District XI 4A finals when they squared off yesterday, which was past Press deadlines.

Head coach Jeff Jones knows they need to be wary of their Skyline Division counterparts. While they won their first game by a comfortable margin, the second meeting at Nazareth resulted in just a one-point win. Ironically, the Zephs scored 54 points in both those games.

Even though they defeated the Blue Eagles twice this season, Jones will have his team ready for another ferocious battle against a familiar opponent that poses many problems. In fact, playing against another division rival is representative of just how competitive that portion of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference has been.

"The quality has been there all year," said Jones. "You're playing the tougher teams and you're better prepared as a result."

Jones said the Blue Eagles "gave them all they could handle" at their place. He also knows that their confidence is extremely high, having won three games in a row.

"I expect it to be a dog fight," he said.

The Blue Eagles mirror the Zephyrs in a lot of ways. Led by head coach Joe Arndt, the Eagles come into the game at 13-11 and are looking to make their first finals appearance in over 14 years.

Jones said that they run their offense efficiently, looking to maximize their possessions each time down the floor.

"They're patient on offense; they run their sets," said Jones.

Their best player is senior swingman Brett Kline. Kline's three-pointer at the buzzer sent their quarterfinal game into overtime against the Mountaineers. Kline is averaging 14.2 points per game this season.

Jones said that their strength is in their perimeter game. Along with Kline, guards Kevin Wagner and Danny Duignam can fill it up from beyond the arc, with Wagner sinking three treys in the win over Stroudsburg. Toss in freshman Jahan Dotson and the Eagles have four players who can do damage from the perimeter.

"Their strength is in their perimeter game," said Jones. "That makes it tough."

Inside they rely on junior Drew Keglovits. The 6-3 Keglovits scored 12 points in their win over the Mountaineers.

The have a lot of offensive options, so once again the Zephs will try to take away some of that scoring with their match-up zone.

"The challenge is going to be great for us," said Jones.

Whitehall's path to the semis was unpredicted as well. They defeated a team that had twice handed them losses during the regular season in Northampton, and then dumped second-seeded Bangor Area High School in the quarters.

They'll be looking to make another finals trip, their last one coming in the 2009-10 season.

Helping them get there has been a strong senior team that has refused to let their season end. That group includes Brett Radocha, Saquon Barkley, Jacob Buskirk, Nick Hassler, Chad Rex and Jake Meyers.

Jones said that Nazareth has been finding a way to win. The Zephs have also followed that same script and Jones knows that Wednesday will be another tough test, one he feels they're ready to meet.