When Alix Buskirk sank a jumper to give the Zephyrs a 28-21 lead early in the third quarter, it looked like they were on the road to their second win of the season.

But it all went awry after that bucket as they failed to score again until three seconds left in the game. That dry spell allowed the visiting Vikettes to steal a victory at Zephyr Gymnasium, toppling Whitehall 36-30.

It was a tough pill to swallow given the Zephs erased an eight-point deficit in the first quarter, and then marched ahead in the opening minutes of the third quarter. They had all the momentum on their side as their defense began creating turnovers, which allowed Buskirk to convert on the offensive end to stake them to that seven-point lead.

But what got them to that point evaporated quickly and that left head coach Dwight Repsher wondering what happened to their execution.

“We stopped executing stuff,” said Repsher.

Repsher said that their offensive execution is something they’ve worked on since the beginning of practice. That execution was on display in the second quarter when they outscored the Vikettes 10-4. But its sudden disappearance is something that haunted them on Tuesday night and that opened the door for Central to reclaim the lead.

“We go through periods where we look good, and then we go through periods where we look really bad,” said Repsher. “There was a stretch in the game where we were so good defensively, and then all of a sudden it’s gone.”

Repsher said that during that drought they also had some defensive lapses which contributed to their woes. It was compounded by not communicating. Given that, he knows it will take work.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Repsher.

Repsher believes they can do it because they’ve demonstrated they can execute during the course of a game. They just need to get consistent. He said that he’ll delve into more once he digests the game tape to find out why they became uncomfortable during that lull.

In the first quarter, the Vikettes commanded the offensive boards as they used their length to secure a number of rebounds which led to put backs, with Margaux Eripret doing a lot of the damage in the paint. But their dominance inside was mitigated by the hard-nosed play of McKenzie Dietz. Dietz got a number of offensive rebounds and had some blocks and steals that helped the Zephyrs surge ahead.

“She played her rear end off,” said Repsher. “She really played hard.”

Offensively, Buskirk led the way with 15 points. She had two consecutive buckets to open the scoring for the Zephs in the third, and also kicked the ball to a wide open Taylor Rummel for a trey to complete a 7-0 run.

But the Vikettes climbed back, and then sank their free throws at the end to ice the game.

The girls opened their season with a win over Northwestern Lehigh High School last Friday.

The non-conference game was a 25-24 win for the Zephs. Taylor Rummel and Olivia George with scored seven points in the win.