Whitehall needed a rally. Then the Zephyrs had to find a way to close it out.

James Middleton’s squad found a way to do both Saturday in the final of the Lady Indian Christmas Tournament, topping host Lehighton 49-46 to claim the championship.

Whitehall trailed throughout the contest - and by as much as 10 midway through the third quarter - but found a way to come through in crunch time.

“We’ve got to give credit to Lehighton. I thought they came out and played very hard,” said Middleton. “They had us in a tight squeeze there, but I’m proud of my girls for fighting back and never giving up.

“I think we had a slow start. They came out with a great game plan that those girls executed it and they had us bottled up for a little bit there.”

The Zephyrs got a three from Corynn Troxell with a little over 7:00 to play in the fourth quarter to take their first lead at 34-32.

Leah Uyvari answered with a three at the other end, and added another basket to give the Tribe a 37-34 advantage with just under 6:00 to play.

Whitehall put together a 6-1 run over the next minute to go ahead 43-38. But Lehighton wouldn’t go away, eventually tying it at 44-44 on a basket by Ryleigh Trotman with 2:00 to play.

A pair of free throws from Jaylene Wilson with 1:26 to play put Whitehall ahead 46-44.

The Indians got within one twice - at 46-45 after a foul shot from Aryanna Arzuagu with 1:09 left, and again at 47-46 after a free throw by Cayley Reph with 13.7 on the clock.

But two foul shots from tournament MVP Makaela Bordner with 6.1 left made it 49-46 and helped seal the win.

Bordner finished the game with 10 points after scoring 15 Friday against Northern Lehigh, when she also hit three treys. The sophomore had one three on Saturday.

“We knew there was a size advantage, and that they were a very athletic team,” said Lehighton head coach Nadia Gauronsky. “But again, I talked about this yesterday, Timara Klotz did a phenomenal job on No. 11 (Bordner) and kind of took her out of the game, which I think threw them off a little bit.

“And our kids are showing that we’re aggressive. And I’ve been harping on that since the beginning of the season and I said, ‘All I want you to do is keep driving and keep getting fouled.’ And they did. Credit to our kids for being as gutsy as they were.”

The Indians came out with intensity and energy, getting Whitehall into foul trouble early, and carrying over momentum from a 47-45 comeback win over East Stroudsburg South Friday night.

They turned a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter into a 25-14 advantage with 3:50 to play in the second period, capped by a basket and foul shot from Reph, a sophomore, who drove into the lane after coming up with a steal and scored seven straight points for the Tribe, who showed the heart and hustle that helped get them to the championship game.

It also showcased more of the progress the team continues to make under Gauronsky in her first year leading the program.

“I think that’s the big thing, we have a very young squad, so now to see kids put into practice the things that we’re working on every day,” said the coach. “Transferring from practice to a game, and getting better.

“I said to them just now in the hallway, ‘Did you think you’d be at this point at this time of the season?’ And they kind of all just shook their heads no. But being uncomfortable, and trying things that maybe you fail at at first, but continuing to try them, will generate good things, because you’ll grow from it. And that’s not just a basketball lesson, that’s a life lesson.”

LEADING SCORERS ... Jaylene Wilson led the Zephyrs with 14 points on Saturday. Trotman paced the Indians with 16 points, while Uyvari scored 13. All three were named to the All Tournament Team. Trotman scored 16 points in both games, while Uyvari also netted 16 in the Indians’ win Friday. Reph finished with 10 points for Lehighton on Saturday.

HITTING THEIR STRIDE ... Whitehall has now won three in a row after a six-game losing streak.

PROGRESS IS A PROCESS ... Lehighton had won three of its last four games after a four-game losing streak entering Saturday. In both games of the tournament, the Tribe scored over 40 points, their first time doing so this season. “For all of them, they’re going to improve, and as they continue to grow and develop, they’ll get hopefully better and better, and they’ll see that being more aggressive makes you better,” said Gauronsky. “Whitehall had a size advantage and was very athletic, but we still found a way to initiate contact and to keep within our own game plan, so that was a big positive tonight.”

WHITEHALL

Otanez 0-0-2-0, Brown 1-0-0-2, Wilson 4-3-4-14, Spooner 2-1-4-5, Donlon 1-0-0-2, Bordner 2-5-8-10, Bynoe 3-2-3-9, Troxell 2-2-4-7, Kneller 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 15-13-25-49.

LEHIGHTON

Arzuagu 0-1-2-1, Wise 0-0-0-0, Reph 3-4-7-10, Klotz 1-0-2-3, Uyvari 2-8-14-13, Trotman 6-4-7-16, Sittler 0-0-2-0, Costenbader 1-0-0-3. TOTALS: 13-17-24-46.

Whitehall 10 6 15 18 - 49

Lehighton 13 12 7 14 - 46

Three-pointers: Whitehall - Wilson 3, Bordner 1, Bynoe 1, Troxell 1. Lehighton - Klotz 1, Uyvari 1, Costenbader 1.

Records: Whitehall (4-6); Lehighton (3-6).