The Whitehall Zephyrs were in the driver’s seat for three quarters of a District XI Class 6A boys basketball semifinal but ultimately fell to Liberty, 40-35, on Feb. 25 at Easton Area Middle School.

Whitehall senior guard Talon Dogmanits fouled out in the fourth quarter, and substitute Cole Richards was injured on a drive to the basket.

“That was a big change in the game,” said Liberty coach Nigel Long, regarding Dogmanits. “He’s a multisport athlete, really talented, really successful, a champion, and he’s the head of the snake for them. He’s their leader, so for him to be out of the game, that was big.”

Just as big for the Hurricanes were the offensive offerings by seven players.

“That’s when we’re at our best,” Long said, “when we have contributions from everybody, and as the game went on, everybody was confident towards the end of the game, which was good to see.”

Whitehall’s Jack Lloyd brought the Zephs within one point, but the Hurricanes milked the clock for over a minute when Samir Brown was fouled and sank both free throws with 21.3 seconds left.

The Zephyrs started the game with an 11-0 run, including a dunk by Cole Rozycki.

Brown tied the game for the Hurricanes halfway through the second quarter, but patience paid off for the Zephyrs, and Rozycki and Dogmanits put Whitehall ahead, 19-15, at the half.

The Zephyrs picked up where they left off with a 6-0 run to open the third quarter on a combination of points from Jack Lloyd and Seth Hoderewski.

The teams traded baskets until Liberty sank three consecutive triples to pull within one point.

Whitehall’s Tanner Dogmanits drained a 3-pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but the Zephyrs went cold until the 1:28 mark while Liberty took over the lead.

“Credit Whitehall,” said Coach Long. “We knew, going into this thing, we played them earlier in the season, and we felt like they were one of the better teams in our league. I’m not surprised with the success they’ve had over the past couple weeks, so we knew this would be a battle and I’m just proud of our guys.”