Whitehall’s electric up-tempo game got short-circuited against visiting Allentown Central Catholic on Tuesday night, and that outage resulted in the Vikings stealing a last-second victory.

After averaging almost 70 points per game this season, the Zephyrs managed to put up just 45 against the Vikings.

That alone is a rarity, and considering that only five guys made it onto the scoring column makes it all the more unusual.

Even with all that to overcome, the Zephyrs still had a chance to win the game.

Logan McGinley’s bucket with a shade over 20 seconds to play put them up a point, 45-44. It was their first lead since early in the third quarter when they led 27-24. However, ACC’s Jay Vaughan, who had scored 16 points up to that point, got fouled inside and went to the charity stripe where he converted both for the one-point lead.

With 2.8 seconds left, the Zephyrs still had a glimmer of hope. They had to take the ball out under their own basket, with Zach’s Gilbert half-court heave eventually controlled by McGinley who had to put up a jumper from a distance only Steph Curry would consider elementary.

The Vikings breathed a sigh of relief once the ball missed its mark, and with the victory split the season series with the Zephyrs.

The loss drops Whitehall to 15-5 overall and 13-2 in the league. It also breaks their five-game winning streak and jeopardizes their chances of hosting a home Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoff game.

Whitehall also failed to convert at the foul line late in the game, going 0-4 at the charity stripe. Conversely, ACC was able to make their all four of their attempts, helping them secure the victory.

The first half told a different story. Whitehall was leading by 10 points midway through the second quarter after Kasai Harrison sank a jumper. They were up 23-13 and it looked like they were in control of the game.

“I thought in the first half our defense was pretty good,” said head coach Jeff Jones. “I don’t think it was our defense tonight, it was our lack of offense. We didn’t have a whole bunch of transition points we normally get.”

What they did get was some inside and outside scoring from Zach Gilbert. Gilbert had 16 points to lead the Zephs, his buckets coming from a variety of spots on the floor. However, it was his three-pointer with just under two minutes left that turned up the gym volume to a deafening roar.

The Zephyrs have been a model of diversity this season when it comes to the stat sheet. Most games the starters and reserves will contribute to the box-score. They never have one player scoring in the 20s; instead, they always get balance. They just weren’t able to convert some of their open looks.

“We didn’t spread it out, that’s for sure,” said Jones. “We scored 45 points tonight. That’s 25 points below our average. That tells the story right there.”

Jones also noted that they didn’t get to the foul line as much this game as they have been for most of the season. For a team that averages about fifteen appearances at the foul line, they stood there just five times against the Vikings.

The Zephyrs also didn’t make a big splash from beyond the arc, as only Harrison and Gilbert found cotton from that distance. Both players hit for two threes, with Harrison finishing the game with 11 points.

Charles Hudson made an impact at both ends, converting steals for layups, and sinking shots from the floor to finish with 12 points.

While McGinley struggled from the floor, the senior showcased why he is such a valuable presence on the floor. During the fourth quarter when they were scrambling to get back into the game, McGinley was fighting inside for a defensive rebound against a pair of bigger Vikings. He was able to tip the ball out to Hudson who raced down the sideline and got fouled on his layup attempt, resulting in two points at the line to knot the score at 36. He also caused a turnover when his man went to screen for Vaughan, with McGinley picking up Vaughan after the switch, forcing Vaughan to lose the ball out of bounds with his tough defense.

And then he found a way to score the go-ahead basket, but the Vikings came back one more time to get the win.

Jones said that it’s a tough road the rest of the way, with Skyline Division games dominating their schedule. They still want to host a league game, that’s their goal.

“We’ll see what happens,” said Jones.