It was another big game for the Whitehall girls basketball team when they hosted Emmaus last Saturday as postseason implications were hanging in the balance.

The Zephyrs responded with an excellent performance, both offensively and defensively, that was spurred by a 14-4 second-quarter run that took the sting out the Hornets and paved the way for the convincing 54-38 win.

With the win they clinched a District 11 playoff berth and will now be in the postseason dance for the second year in a row. Seven of those 11 wins have come against league opponents which currently places them a game behind both Nazareth and Northampton (each 8-2) for a share of second place in the Skyline Division of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

For head coach Dwight Repsher, this is right about where they should be. He’s seen them win some big games over the span of the last two weeks, and feels they’re right on track.

“If you told me we were going to be 11-6, I would have said, ‘That’s probably right where you want to be,’” said Repsher. “The key is now, and we’ve talked about this with the team, that after we beat Parkland last year, that was good enough. Now, it’s not good enough.”

He said that letdown stemmed from continually losing year after year, and then once they defeated a perennial powerhouse like Parkland, that was the fulfillment to their season.

“Now we have to finish out the rest of the season,” said Repsher.

Repsher said their goal is to win the next six games and earn a spot in the EPC title.

“There’s a lot of good teams and that’s really going to be tight,” he said.

He believes they’ll be vying for one of the five wild card spots along with Nazareth and Central, with one of those teams on the outside looking in when the dust settles. Last year the Zephs had their fate in their own hands in their final game against Parkland but couldn’t secure a EPC berth, something they want to correct.

The game began with the two teams trading buckets as Emmaus’ Jenna Lessel scored two of her team’s first three baskets. From the start, Lessel’s size seemed to pose a problem down low, but Whitehall did a good job defensively after that quick burst with Jill Kreglow fronting her and then Jill Rex doubling down that led to a steal by Rex.

Additionally, Ivanna Jones attacked the glass on both ends of the court, further helping to neutralize the Hornets size advantage.

“We made sure we knew where she [Lessel] was,” said Repsher. “Ivanna and Kregs really put good defense on the ball. They did a good job.”

As the two teams went back and forth during the opening stanza, Taylor George found Kreglow with a nice bounce pass to knot the score at 8-8. Kreglow followed with a jumper the next trip down the floor to give them the lead, setting the stage for the first of three closeout points by the Zephs to end a quarter.

Taylor Rummel supplied the dagger with a baseline three-pointer. That bucket gave Whitehall a five-point lead and a big momentum boost heading into the second quarter.

Rummel was coming off a game in which she scored 18 points in their 62-49 win over Liberty. In that game she dropped three treys and has become a vital scoring option off the bench. Rummel also had the closeout points in the second quarter on a runner as she drove in the lane and then lofted a shot that found cotton as time expired. Her ability to spot up for a perimeter jumper or attack the basket has made her difficult to defend.

“I’ve always been comfortable with three pointers, but then my Dad started talking with me and he said, ‘you have to take it to the hole more often because everyone’s going to expect you to shoot three-pointers, so you have to show them that you can do more than that,’ so I’ve been listening to my Dad,” said Rummel.

Rummel finished with seven points, and has played an integral part in helping them get into the playoffs, something’s she’s looking forward to in this her sophomore season.

“I’m definitely really excited for it,” said Rummel. “This is my first year playing varsity and I’m definitely excited to be playing in the playoffs.”

Rummel also showed her willingness to dive after loose balls, tying up the opposition which resulted in a Zephyr possession.

“I play volleyball, so I’m used to diving on the floor, and I guess I just take that over to basketball,” said Rummel.

That second quarter began with a Kylee Cunningham bucket, opening a decisive stretch of plays that effectively laid the groundwork for the win. One of those plays was a pass from Cunningham to Jones who slipped behind the defense for an uncontested layup. That play worked a few times and showcased a portion of Jones’ terrific all-around game against the Hornets.

Jones led all scorers with 18 points, scoring via offensive putbacks, soft jumpers and layups.

And getting a district berth against the Hornets must have felt sweet for Jones since last year they lost a tough one against Emmaus after she got called for a foul on a steal by the trailing official that negated a comeback bid by the Zephyrs who needed that win for an EPC berth.

“It felt great,” said Jones. “We qualified for districts in this game. We knew we needed the win, and that’s what out goal was.”

While Jones was making a statement offensively, it was her defense and rebounding that also spoke loud and clear, especially against Lessel.

“We just had to get in front of her and box her out,” said Jones. “We did a good job with that.”

Rummel believes they still have a lot to accomplish.

“There’s a lot more that we can do and I think we can potentially win the district [championship],” said Rummel.

Rummel said it’s going to take “hard work, determination and just working as a team.”