Four quarters of basketball, thirty-two minutes, came down to four seconds as the Zephyrs had the opportunity to defeat Emmaus last Thursday night in their final game of the season.

The undermanned Zephyrs, playing with a short bench, had led most of the way, but were trailing the Green Hornets by one as they attempted an inbounds pass at mid court to see if they could pull out the win.

Emmaus elected to guard the inbounds pass with their tallest player, Zach Sabol. That strategy worked as Whitehall had trouble getting a good look, preventing the Zephyrs from attempting a shot, and wound up losing 52-51 to the Hornets.

They probably deserved a better fate given how well they played throughout the game. Emmaus trailed until the fourth quarter as the Zephyrs stayed aggressive on both ends of the floor, battling a much bigger Hornet squad who were playing for their playoff lives.

“It’s a credit to these guys, they fought right to the end,” said head coach Jeff Jones. “We had nothing to play for, and they had everything to play for because this win got them in the district playoffs. And for our kids to fight for 32 minutes, and that’s what we did - fight, and compete at a really high level, I was just extremely proud of them.”

Jones said that they played as hard as they could have played as they had to contend with a much bigger team whose post presence made it a tough task to defend. But they scrapped and hustled and made their bigs earn every point.

“Dylan [McGinley] and Jo-Jo [Herman] and Namirr [Boatwright], and Mike [Smith when he was in there, fought like crazy,” said Jones. “I can’t say enough about those guys.”

The only lament Jones had was going 1-7 from the foul line in the final quarter. They missed some front ends of their one-and-ones and that gave Emmaus an opening to take the lead.

“That’s a lesson learned and next year we’ll get better,” said Jones.

Senior guard Kevin Virgo helped put them in the position for the victory by hitting two threes in the final minute. His second trey, from practically Macungie, tied the score at 51-51 with 7.6 seconds left. However, the Zephyrs fouled, putting Cameron Brooks on the line shooting two. He went 1-1, and after a timeout, the Zephs still had a chance for the victory, despite being down as many as five with just a couple of minutes remaining in regulation.

That willingness to fight to the end epitomized the season for the Zephyrs, especially their seniors whose high school careers ended on Thursday.

“We wanted this win so bad, it was my last game ever in a Zephyr uniform,” said Virgo. “I hit some big shots. It felt great, but I wouldn’t want to do it with any other guys.”

Virgo said that he’s played with those guys since he was little, and the knowledge that he’ll no longer be playing with them as part of the maroon and gold will sting.

Virgo, who finished with eight points, ran the point as the Zephs bolted out to an early lead. They led by nine after the first period as they came up with the 50-50 balls that helped stake them to that 18-9 lead. They were also making their shots from beyond the arc, finishing with six threes for the game.

Even though they were undermanned, Virgo said that everyone contributed and played well.

“We couldn’t have played any better,” said Virgo. “We played as a team, and I think that’s the best we’ve played all year.

“I’m encouraged about the team next year. They shouldn’t worry at all. The Zephyrs are going to be great next year. I can’t wait to come back and watch.”

Seniors Jake Lisicky, Michael Smith and Markes Cruz also played their last game for the Zephyrs. Lisicky did yeoman’s work inside against their bigs, Josh Artis and Sabo, while also adding nine points in his final game. Smith also did a good job crashing the boards, and was adept at setting screens on the offensive end.

Sophomore McGinley led the team in scoring with 18 points. He got his buckets both inside and out, often drawing contact on drives to the basket that put him on the fold line for a possible three-point play. He finished the game with five free throw attempts, sinking three.

Additionally, Ricky Melosky finished with seven points, while Boatwright added six.