Parkland 90, Whitehall 78 — Rapid Recap
The red-hot Parkland boys basketball team continued its winning spree through the second half of its EPC schedule Friday night with a 90-78 win over Whitehall at Coach Tracy Court.
Turning point: The Zephyrs did lead 9-3 early on, but in a blink the Trojans responded with an 11-0 run to take a lead they never relinquished. It got into double digits by the second quarter, and while Whitehall cut it as close as eight points early in the third, that was as close as it would get. Parkland’s advantage swelled as large as 17 points in a game that featured two intentional fouls, some chippy play late and rising tensions before the final buzzer.
Top performer: Senior guard/forward Sam Iorio showed why he’s the program’s all-time leading scorer, leading the way with 31 points. Fellow senior Michael Zeky chipped in 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half as he found himself open inside often for easy buckets.
Every Trojans starter nailed at least one 3-pointer while Jake Bartholomew, Michael Ruisch and Logan Rindock all joined Iorio and Zeky in double digits.
Junior guard Mikey Esquilin kept the Zephyrs hanging around as he poured in 23 points.
What it means: The first time these teams met, Whitehall won 57-53. Friday night was quite different, showing the growth of Parkland since that Dec. 22 matchup. Two games later, it began to click for the Trojans, who have now won 11 of their last 12 — the lone loss coming to Linden in the Hoop Group Showcase.
The Zephyrs have now dropped two straight games and will look to shore up their efforts on the defensive side. They’re still in line for a high seed both in the EPC and district tournament.
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.
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