The Whitehall boys basketball team managed to take the wind out of the Hurricanes, downgrading them to a simple summer shower when the two met recently as part of the Stellar High School Boys Summer Basketball League.

With the game forced inside for the second Thursday in a row, Whitehall was able to pull away from Liberty in the second half to win their seventh game of the summer season at that point.

Whitehall moved up to the fourth seed and will meet the fifth-seeded Hurricanes again when the playoffs start. But now that the regular season is over, both the Stellar and SportsFest tournaments begin, putting high school hoops in the spotlight once again this summer.

In the game against Liberty, Charles Hudson led the way with 14 points for Whitehall. The forward had a few breakaway dunks en route to his team-high total. Hudson, who will be a senior this year, said that he’s been working on certain aspects of his game this offseason.

“I’m trying to improve my left hand and get more boards,” said Hudson. “I’m also working on my jump shot. If I can improve my jump shot, my game is going to be a lot better.”

Hudson returns with fellow front court players Logan McGinley, Devin Martinez and Zach Gilbert.

Hudson is the most explosive of the front court players, and while that should help him get some rebounds, he still understands that they’ll be undersized down low in a lot of their games and that will require staying aggressive when battling on the boards.

“We just have to work hard,” said Hudson. “That’s what we’ll always have to do.”

Hudson said that a lot of players have been attending the summer league from both the varsity and junior varsity.

One of those players who made an impression was Jordan Harrington. He’s also in that front court mix and showed some good strength around the basket on the offensive end.

Esquilin finished the game with 12 points. He was also effective passing the ball, connecting with Hudson on a nifty underhand pass for a layup late in the game.

Another player who stood out against Liberty was Kasai Harrison. The guard hit from beyond the arc, demonstrated good ball handling skills, created some steals, and had a tremendous block on fast break attempt at the close of the second half.

Tuesday, July 19

Court # 3

6 p.m. - #4 Whitehall vs. #5 Liberty

7 p.m. - # 3 Parkland vs. #6 Bangor

Court # 4

6 p.m. - #1 Lincoln Leadership vs. #4 Saucon Valley

7 p.m. - #2 Salisbury vs. #3 Faith Christian

Thursday, July 21

Court # 3

6 p.m. #2 Allen vs. TBD

7 p.m. #1 Reading vs. TBD

Court # 4

6 p.m. - Small School Championship

Friday, July 22

6:30 p.m. - Large School Championship