Mellen, Tulpehocken outlast Brandywine Heights in key Berks III battle

Bryce Mellen scored all of his team’s five points in overtime as Tulpehocken outlasted Brandywine Heights 60-59 Tuesday in a key Berks Conference Division IV game at Mertztown.

Mellen hit a 3-pointer and both of his free throws in OT as the Trojans (5-2, 11-3) won their third straight league game and held onto second place, just half a game ahead of Oley Valley, which also won Tuesday. His 3 snapped a 57-57 tie. Neither team scored over the final two minutes.

The Trojans and Lynx (4-2, 10-3) meet Friday at Tulpehocken in a game that will loom large in the upcoming league playoffs. The second-place team from Berks IV has a chance to qualify for the BCIAA Tournament.

Both the Trojans and Lynx are two games behind Antietam in the loss column in Berks IV; the first-place Mounts (6-0, 14-1) beat Kutztown 71-62 Tuesday.

Oley Valley, which beat Schuylkill Valley 58-38 Tuesday for its sixth straight victory, won the Berks IV title last season, winning at Antietam on the final night of the season.

Mellen finished with a game-high 21 points; David Bednarczyk had 16 for the Trojans. Mellen hit 5-of-6 free throws, including one with 32 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. The Trojans were good on 9-of-10 from the foul line.

Senior Chris Gauby scored a career-high 19 points for the Bullets (1-6, 5-9), who lost for the fourth time this season by three points or less. They were coming off a 53-50 loss at Wyomissing last Wednesday.

The Bullets led 16-14 after one period as Gauby scored nine points.