Big defensive effort carries Wyomissing to win in season opener

Ryan Ludwig imagined his Wyomissing basketball team’s forte would be playing defense. He finally got to see what that looked like Tuesday night.

The Spartans sparkled on the defensive end, holding Tulpehocken to less than half its season average in winning their season-opener 47-33 at Wyomissing.

“We are what we thought we are, and that’s a really good defensive team,” said Ludwig. “The guys that we’re bringing in from football, they just know how to defend and get after it, and they are gamers.”

Tulpehocken (1-1, 4-1) had opened the season with four straight wins for the first time since 1998-99.

Wyomissing delayed the start of its season because most of the players in its projected starting lineup were still playing football on Dec. 11, the day after basketball season opener.

Even now Ludwig says his guys aren’t close to being in full basketball shape; there were only five full practices with the entire team before Tuesday’s win.

The Spartans pulled away after a tight start, with Julian O’Brien hitting a 3-pointer at the end of the first half to extend his team’s lead to 26-18. O’Brien scored 19 points in the first half, hitting four 3-pointers.

That effort caught up to him in the third quarter when he began cramping and had to leave the game. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter, and didn’t score in the second half.

Amory Thompson scored all of his nine points in the second half to help the Spartans maintain their lead, but he had to leave the game, also.

Thompson, a cornerback on the football team, injured his shoulder making a big hit in the PIAA championship game against Central Valley and it’s still bothering him.

Ludwig said Thompson may have to be held out for an extended time to allow the shoulder to fully heal.

“He’s a guy who’s going to give you 1000 percent, no matter what,” Ludwig said. “I’d rather sit him now and let him get healthy and have him in the end.”

While he was on the floor Thompson was one of the keys to the win because of his defensive work on David Bednarczyk, who came in averaging 20.3 points. Bednarczyk had a pair of baskets in the first quarter, then didn’t score again.

When Thompson had to come out in the first half because of foul trouble, and later when his shoulder began to hurt, Drew Eisenhower took over the defensive duties on Bednarczyk and excelled as well.

“I was worried about this game,” Ludwig said. “This is a good Tulpy team. You don’t score 20 points a game in high school without being able to score the basketball, and to have two of ’em on one team is something. Our guys did what they had to do.”

Bryce Mellen was held to 15 points, more than six below his 21.3 average. Nevin Carter defended him. Mellen eventually fouled out, as did Bednarczyk and Tulpehocken’s Aiden Miller.

Tulpehocken made just one 3-pointer; it had 14 in its first four games.

Carter finished with eight points and Eisenhower with seven.

“Thrilled (with the win),” Ludwig said, “but there’s still a lot of stuff we have to get better. No one’s surprised at that, with the limited practices we’ve had. These guys are just so competitive. You don’t get to two state championships without being super-competitive like that. They were ready to go.”

Ludwig’s concern now is how his team bounces back. It’ll play three games in three days, playing at Twin Valley Wednesday and at Elizabethtown Thursday.