It was a couple of missed opportunities late in the game against Nazareth that sealed the Whitehall girls basketball team’s fate and prompted their exit from the district playoffs.

The game went back and forth through most of the second half, and with the game tied 28-28, Ariana Hines stepped to the line for the front end of a one-and-one. While she missed the first, the Zephs retained possession and set up their offense for another shot.

They got another break when Nazareth lost the ball out of bounds, setting up another opportunity for the go-ahead bucket.

That opportunity slipped away as well.

Coming up empty during that series in which they had three chances at taking the lead, proved to be the turning point in the game. That’s because on Nazareth’s ensuing possession, Jessica Durnin drove to the hoop for the go-ahead score at 3:47 left in the game and the Blue Eagles would never look back again, posting a 39-31win to advance to the semifinals against Northampton.

Up to that point, the Zephs looked poised to complete the upset. Taylor George was starting to cook from outside and it felt like they were going to ride that wave to victory. They played well the entire game, with Ivanna Jones and Jill Kreglow doing a good job inside against the Blue Eagles formidable front court.

But their inability to score on those possessions effectively took away their momentum and put it back into Nazareth’s hands once Durnin converted that lay-up.

“We made too many mistakes down the stretch,” said head coach Dwight Repsher.

Repsher said that when they would throw a pass, they wouldn’t be ready for it. They also failed to convert down low during that stretch, and then also lost the handle on the ball on another opportunity.

Once that sequence of events transpired, Repsher believed that Nazareth’s experience in playoff games started to assert itself.

Still, the Zephyrs battled, with George once again breathing life back into the team with a three-pointer which cut it to four pints with 1:13 remaining.

But Nazareth kept their composure, spread out the Zephs defensively, and then made their foul shots to preserve the victory.

“It was a really good game,” said Repsher. “Until we had to start chasing them around and start doing things, putting them on the foul line, I mean, we were in it till the end.”

While it was disappointing end to their season, the list of accomplishments for this cast of Zephyrs was truly remarkable. They won 15 games, made both the league and district playoffs, and won a game in the 4A playoffs before bowing out in the quarters. Compare that with three years ago when they were 4-18. They’ve come a long way.

George led the team with 14 points, sinking four threes against a long Blue Eagle squad. Kreglow finished with five, while Jones, Taylor Rummel and Alix Buskirk each had three.

It was a great effort from everyone as they’ll now look to build on this year’s success.

“They really played hard,” said Repsher. “It’s a heck of a year, a heck of a year.”

Anytime a team can win 15 games playing in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, it’s really saying something if you get this far, said Repsher.

Repsher knew it could have gone either way.

“It just got away from us,” he said.