The Whitehall basketball team got off to a great start, using stifling defense to win the Wilson Area Tip-Off Tournament last weekend.

Whitehall made it to the finals by defeating Pleasant Valley 88-45 in their first game. That put them into the finals against Wilson Area High School who had earlier defeated Kutztown High School to advance to the championship game.

In the finals, the Zephyrs put the clamps on the Warriors as their stingy defense paved the way for the 57-28 win. It now marks the second consecutive year that Whitehall has won the tourney.

Their ability to shut down Wilson is something that head coach Jeff Jones is hoping will become a mainstay as they approach their Eastern Pennsylvania Conference schedule.

“One of the things we’re looking to improve upon is our defense,” said Jones. “I was pleased with our defense Saturday night.”

The halftime score was 26-7, and from that point the Zephyrs had the game firmly in control.

The other aspect of the weekend that Jones liked was their ability to get balanced scoring from everyone on the floor. It’s an area that’s been a focal point heading into this season.

“One of the things we hope to accomplish this this year is to develop some depth,” said Jones.

That depth came in handy when guard Mikey Esquilin was sidelined with an illness. Kasai Harrison stepped in and ran the point, something that he had done during the summer when Esquilin was competing in AAU tournaments.

“He did a really good job of running the team,” said Jones.

Jones also said that Harrison played excellent defense in the two wins. He also scored nine points to help the Zephs defeat the Bears.

Jones said that each game produced a different high scorer, as Charles Hudson led the way in the first game with 20 points, while Kayden Walschburger dropped in 11 in the finals.

Additionally, Logan McGinley scored nine points against Pleasant Valley, and then added 10 against the Warriors.

“I like that the points are spread around,” said Jones.

Jones said that sharing the basketball is something they’ll continue to do. It will get everyone involved in the game which makes it more difficult for defenses to defend. That way they won’t be keying on just one or two players to stop.

The Zephyrs dove into league play on Tuesday night with a game against Allentown Central Catholic. They went into Rockne Hall and defeated the Vikings 64-57. It’s the third consecutive win over the Vikings and gives them a big boost as they head into conference play. With the win, the Zephs are now 3-0 on the season.