The boys tipped off the basketball season at the Loyalsock Tournament as they scored 120 points over their two games, a good sign as they begin league play this week.

Heading into the season, the Zephyrs lost over 95 percent of their offense to graduation. Head coach Jeff Jones said that their performance in the two-game tourney demonstrated their balance, something they can lean on as they start Eastern Pennsylvania Conference action when they hosted Allentown Central Catholic on Tuesday night.

In their opening game, they lost 62-50 to Wellsboro High School. Jones said that they got off to a really nice start and were leading 29-23 heading into halftime. However, the Hornets went on a 16-0 run to begin the third quarter and the Zephyrs could never recover.

“That was pretty difficult to fight up from,” said Jones.

They managed to play the Hornets even in the final quarter, eventually losing by twelve to the Hornets. That win put them in the finals where they met Loyalsock Township High School, losing 52-38.

While no one had a breakout game in the opener, Jones said that he was pleased with their balance. He was also cited that getting everyone involved with help with their growth, something they accomplished in that first game.

“I was happy that all thirteen guys got into the game,” said Jones. “We want to give guys opportunities to see what they can do. We want to give them all a look.”

That was also the case in the consolation game as they prevailed 70-57 against North Penn- Mansfield. Jones said that 11 players hit the floor in that win over the Tigers.

That win was highlighted by a number of “breakout” performances as Kevin Virgo scored 21 points to lead the team. Guard Ethan Parvel also had a superb offensive night, netting 16 points. Finally, Joe Herman scored 14 points, all of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Jones said that Herman’s points were needed since they only had a seven-point lead heading into the final stanza.

“He made some big shots, ” said Jones. “He had some big points for us, making three three-pointers.”

Jones said that getting that scoring balance, along with the ability to empty his bench during the tournament, was the biggest take-aways from the opening weekend.

The Zephyrs dropped their home opener to ACC, losing 55-39 to the Vikings.