Kasai Harrison is used to drawing tough defensive assignments, and last Wednesday’s game against Northampton was no exception.

The senior guard was tasked with defending Aidan Ellwood, one of the Konkrete Kids’ most explosive players.

“I thought Kasai did a really good job on Aidan, he’s a really good player” said head coach Jeff Jones.

Ellwood, who’s been averaging just under 17 points per game scored 14 points.

With the Zephyrs leading by three points heading into the break, Kayden Walschburger extended it to six when he hit a trey to begin the second half. Whitehall then began to ramp up their defense, creating a number of turnovers to push the lead to nine points.

They eventually got it to 11 when Harrison got an offensive rebound and put it back for two.

Their defensive effort in the second half helped them build on their lead which kept the Kids at arms length the rest of the way for the 60-52 victory.

Jones said that Harrison was a pivotal piece in their efforts to keep Northampton from getting back into the game. It was the second time in two nights he was tasked with guarding a good scorer.

“We asked him to do it two nights back to back,” said Jones. “Last night he had to do it on [Kevin] Wagner who’s a really good player. We were able to give him a little break now and then [against Northampton]. Mikey [Esquilin] covered him a little bit, and Charles [Hudson] covered him a little bit, but for the most part it was Kasai. With his defensive effort, he really did a god job.”

Harrison is embracing his role. Along with being a defensive stopper, he’ll run the point and also work alongside Esquilin as the two guard.

“I’m very comfortable in my minutes,” said Harrison who finished the game with eight points.

Harrison is usually one of the first players off the bench to spell one of the guard spots. He’s grown accustomed to the rotation and is contributing every opportunity he gets.

Harrison took over point guard duties in the summer when Esquilin wasn’t available. He logged a lot of minutes and played a pivotal role in their Stellar Sunmner League championship win over Allen.

“After the season last year, coaches told me I would be the point guard for the summer, and I thought to myself I have to step up,” said Harrison. “I felt like I did that in the summer, and then I just had to continue it into the basketball season.”

Harrison’s role last year was largely subbing at the point for Esquilin. This year the two have played alongside one another. Harrison said the coaches approached him during the of-season and let him know he would be sharing the backcourt with Esquilin this season.

“They said we would be playing together so we could pressure, play full court, play man on people, and it’s working out well,” said Harrison.

Harrison is a perfect for for the uptempo style the Zephs are playing. Both he and Esquilin can handle the ball and get out on the fast break. Harrison is also adept at causing turnovers, utilizing his quickness to get into passing lanes or cause a steal.

Harrison said that once they emerged from halftime, the message was to play good defensive and top make sure they were focused on stops.

They were able to do that as they went on that 8-0 run. They also continued to get balance scoring as Esquilin led the way with 14 points. Both he and Walschburger hit twice from beyond the arc, with Walschburger finishing with nine points. Zach Gilbert also had nine points, while Hudson and Logan McGinley each added seven.

With the win, the Zephs are now 13-3 overall and 9-1 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. That puts them in a tie for the division lead with Emmaus.

Jones said that winning the division is not necessarily the most important thing. They want to be one of those eight teams at the end of the regular season who can vie for an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference title.

“That’s certainly a goal of ours,” said Jones. “We’ve talked about continuing to win because that gives you a first round home game. That’s our goal right now to make sure we continue to win enough games so we’re in the top four.”

While they were good in stretches operating the half court offense, Jones continued to see room for improvement. And with seven games remaining in the regular season, Jones said it’s imperative they get better at it quickly. Once playoff time rolls around, defenses ratchet up and they’re not going to be able to score 80 points a game, he said.

“We have to continue to work at that,” he said.

Northampton has been a tough place to play for the Zephyrs the last few years. “I feel good when this game is over,” said Jones. “We normally have a difficult time here so I’m happy to get out of here with a win.”