The Emmaus boys basketball team was outscored 39-26 in the second half in falling to Whitehall 64-52 last Tuesday night in Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Skyline Division action at Emmaus High School.

“We had too many unforced turnovers and did not execute well enough on offense or defense,” said Hornet head coach Steve Yoder. “As a result, Whitehall was able to pull away. It was a combination of Whitehall executing very well, and us not matching that execution.”

The Green Hornets (2-6 overall, 2-3 EPC) had a tough time stopping the Zephyrs’ (4-3, 3-2) inside-out combination of guard Tyler Holubowski and forward Dylan McGinley. The duo combined for 42 of the team’s 64 points.

“We allowed the lefty (Holubowski) to turn the corner at will and get into the paint, which really hurt our ability to defend,” Yoder said. “Their bigs were physical and dictated where they wanted the ball in the paint. As a result, they scored at an efficient clip.”

Jadis Brevitt was the lone Emmaus player in double-figures in scoring, leading the team with 15 points. Paddy Tulio tallied nine points and both Danny Bohman and Mason Boyd recorded seven points. Jameel Sanders and Meech Rogers each contributed five points, while Alec Ward had four points to round out the scoring for the Green Hornets.

Brevitt in particular has stepped up the last few games and been a spark off the bench. He connected on a couple of important three-pointers to keep Emmaus close.

“Jadis is someone who has been on our radar as far back as this summer,” said Yoder. “He is a great kid to coach, and just needs to get some experience. He has a great ability to get wherever he wants to on the floor, and we expect more good things from him going forward.”

Following a three-game losing streak to begin the 2019-20 campaign, Emmaus won two straight. They are currently on another three-game skid heading into the holiday break, looking to keep improving each day.

The Hornets followed the loss to Whitehall with a 61-56 setback to Central Catholic Friday.

“We were hopeful that we could have a better week this week, but we also understand that we are a work in progress,” Yoder said. “Spirits are really good in the locker room and I am confident we will continue to improve, as was seen from a really strong effort at Central Catholic last [Friday]. It is going to take time, but they are such a fun group to coach, I feel we will get where we need to be.”

Emmaus faces Lebanon on Friday and then will take on either Cedar Crest or Oxford on Saturday.