After making it to their third finals in summer league action, the Whitehall basketball team hoisted some hardware last Friday as the winners of the big school division of the Stellar Summer League.

In the previous two tournaments held at Cedar Beach in Allentown, the site of the Stellar Summer League finals as well, Whitehall had lost in the championship game. In the Stellar “Catch A Rising Star Basketball Showcase” they lost to Pocono Mountain West, and in the A-Town Throwdown they lost to Liberty.

This time their opponent was another EPC denizen, William Allen. Allen (9-2) arrived at the finals as the No. 2 seed. Whitehall (9-3) was the No. 4 seed.

The game see-sawed back and forth in the second half, and it looked like Allen had the upper hand when they took possession with about 20 seconds left in the game. At the time they were up 47-46 and all they had to do was inbound the ball and force Whitehall to foul.

But as the Allen player stood under his own basket and looked for a lane to pass the ball, Kasai Harrison leaped high in the air and nabbed the entry pass, giving Whitehall possession which eventually led to a Logan McGinley lay-up and the 48-47 win.

It was Harrison’s play that set the stage for the win.

“I saw everybody was taking away the passes where he looked, and he threw the jump ball so I dropped back and reached up and caught it,” said Harrison.

Harrison has had a big impact this summer, especially on the defensive end. He’s made a number of blocks, most notably against Liberty in a game at Whitehall’s gym, while in Friday’s championship game, his active hands forced a few turnovers.

Both teams committed costly turnovers, and that aspect of the game was fresh on Harrison’s mind at the end of the contest.

“It was a sloppy game, nobody had control, but I kind of knew we were going to come out on top,” said Harrison. “I knew that in the interior, Logan was going to make a play.”

McGinley was able to drive and score that final bucket, part of his team-high 12 points.

A lot of Whitehall’s offense was spurred by their defensive effort. Whether it was Devin Martinez grabbing a board among the cluster of bodies on the defensive end, or Jackson Buskirk getting the steal, Whitehall’s defensive effort led to a number of points on the other end.

“You just have to play hard and stop them,” said Harrison. “I know they were trying to get to the basket a lot, but you just got to slide your feet.”

While Harrison may have flown under the radar last year, he’s been getting attention of opposing coaches this summer. That can be said about Allen’s coach Doug Snyder who didn’t realize Harrison was part of the varsity last fall. However, his eyes were opened once he witnessed Harrison’s impact on the game.

“He’s made huge, huge strides this summer,” said head coach Jeff Jones. “He’s going to earn some minutes this year, that’s for sure.”

Confidence is a big part of anyone’s game, and Jones said that Harrison, just like any other player, can’t contemplate on whether to take a shot or not, they must shoot it when they’re open.

“I like the confidence we have as individuals and as a team,” he said.

Jones said that their focus when they begin summer play isn’t about winning championships, but getting better every game, both individually and as a team.

“To have it culminate in a championship here at the end is just an added bonus,” said Jones.

It was a back-an-forth affair with each team making runs in the first half. Whitehall made the first of those, taking a 13-8 lead. Allen then trimmed it to one at 13-12, but Whitehall scored the next six to lead. 19-12. They eventually went into halftime with a 23-20 lead.

The second half was tense on both sides as the lead changed hands numerous times. Buskirk, who finished with 11 points, had some key put backs to help Whitehall stay close, while Allen’s Bless Jones was hot from the perimeter, keeping the Canaries in line for the trophy.

The tide swung for good on Harrison’s steal, and once Allen’s final attempt fell short, Whitehall gathered at midcourt to accept the championship trophy. It was the culmination of an outstanding summer at Cedar Beach Park.

“The third time’s the charm,” said Harrison.