With roughly six minutes left in their game, Whitehall appeared to be headed to the second round of the PIAA Class 6A bracket at Methacton last Saturday. The Zephyrs seemingly had a comfortable 14-point lead.

However, their comfort level suddenly ended.

Methacton rallied in the closing minutes of the game, and the Warriors mounted a 49-46, comeback victory.

Sophomore guard John Leet ignited Methacton in the final stanza with five three-pointers and 16 of his 19 points in the final eight minutes. Methacton (22-5) won its first state game since 2022, and Whitehall (13-14) exited the state tournament for the second consecutive season.

Senior Jack Lloyd and junior Tanner Dogmanits each had 12 points, and Cole Rozycki added 11 for Whitehall

The Zephyrs had a 25-21 lead at halftime, and they built a 40-30 lead at the end of three quarters. Methacton erupted for 19 fourth-quarter points, while Whitehall managed just six.

Whitehall head coach Jeff Jones was obviously disappointed and frustrated with their final quarter.

“We played three great quarters and were up by 14 with about five minutes left in the game,” noted Jones. “From that point, we scored two points. There were turnovers, missed shots, and we went two-for-six from the line. It all contributed to the big swing.

“Their shooting guard got hot and hit five threes in the last quarter. We showed how good we can be, yet once again, we struggled to finish the game.”

The Zephyrs will lose seniors Talon Dogmanits, Cole Richards, Seth Hoderewski, Omari Ratliff, and Jack Lloyd. Jones will miss the standards his graduating class set over the years.

“Losing the five seniors is hard,” stressed Jones. “Seth, Talon, Cole, and Omari have been here all four years. Their contributions can’t be measured. They set great examples for our underclassmen.

“Having Jack this year was a huge help to the group, especially on the offensive end. These guys are going to be tough to replace. However, having Tanner (Dogmanits) and Cole Rozycki back for next year is a good starting point.”