Keppel eclipses 1,000 career points

Zephyrs knock out Phantoms

There are few better feelings than sealing a win at the free-throw line for your team.

Whitehall senior guard Luke Keppel devised a way to make it even better Friday night.

Keppel eclipsed 1,000 points for his career at the free-throw line while putting the finishing touches on District 11 runner-up Whitehall’s resurgent second half that sent it to a 61-46 victory over Phoenixville in the opening round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament.

Making their first appearance in states in nine seasons, the stars aligned for Keppel and the Zephyrs as they registered their first PIAA playoff victory since 2005.

“Whitehall hadn’t won a state game in (almost) 20 years, so it means a lot,” Keppel said. “When we lost that district championship to Pocono Mountain West, that really hurt, still stinks to this day. We don’t know how much time we have left together, so we’re just going to keep trying to get this thing going as long as we can.”

Phoenixville, the No. 3 seed from District 1, suffered a one-and-done fate in its first trip to the state tournament in 15 years and capped its year with a 21-8 record.

Keppel was 12-for-12 at the free-throw line on his way to a game-high 23 points.

His final trip to the line, with 1:19 to play and Whitehall on top 57-46, sent him to the milestone, his 11th make of the game setting off a celebration inside the home gym.

“Going to the free throw line, we shoot those every day in practice. I had my rhythm going, I made every one before that,” Keppel said. “The place was going crazy so I knew I had to make them and reach that milestone.

“These fans that came to support us all year, the Whitehall community runs deep, so to do it in front of these fans means a lot.”

Whitehall got meaningful contributions throughout the lineup, most notably from junior center AJ Hines who had 18 points, including a thunderous dunk in the second half, while battling with the frontline size brought by Phoenixville.

Senior guard Ethan Ringenberger hit a pair of 3-pointers during Whitehall’s pivotal run in the third quarter that turned a 29-25 halftime deficit into a win going away.

His second triple gave the Zephyrs their first lead, at 36-33, with around two minutes left in the third.

Pioneer Athletic Conference champion Phoenixville got 13 points apiece from seniors Christian Cervino and Max Lebisky, but suffered a very uncharacteristic shooting night, especially in the second half.

The Phantoms ran out to an 8-0 lead early and carried a four-point lead into halftime thanks in part to solid early three-point shooting with makes from Cervino, Keron Booth and Aidan McClintock.

That well dried up in the second half as the Phantoms fell completely out of rhythm and were troubled by Whitehall’s zone defense.

“I thought they played harder than us in different ways where the ball wasn’t bouncing our way. A lot of that really comes down to needing to work hard in a couple of those moments,” Phoenixville coach Eric Burnett said. “When shots weren’t falling, we need to find other ways to make plays. I felt like they did that a little better than us tonight.”

“Credit to them, they executed well in zone and forced us to take tough shots. We haven’t played in a while and you can see we were a little cold and maybe a little tired. It’s a real credit to them in executing the game plan perfectly.”

Whitehall moves on to face District 2 champion Abington Heights, which rolled Bonner-Prendergast 91-64 on Friday. That game is slated for Tuesday, March 12 at a site and time to be determined.