Hempfield stops Wilson win streak, denies coaching milestone for Matt Coldren (updated)
2023 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(Corrected to show correct win total for Hempfield coach Danny Walck.)
One night after a sizzling start in a win over Central York, the Wilson Bulldogs fell behind quickly against Hempfield Thursday and never fully recovered, losing to the Black Knights 47-42 in the championship game of the Hempfield Holiday Tournament at Landisville.
Ben Troyer, a 6-4 senior guard, scored 10 first-quarter points to spark the Black Knights (5-3) to a 19-7 lead after the first eight minutes.
The Bulldogs (8-2) trimmed that deficit to three by the end of the third quarter but could get no closer and saw their winning streak snapped at seven.
Hempfield’s victory gave head coach Danny Walck his 399th career victory and denied Wilson’s Matt Coldren his 400th victory. Coldren, a former Bulldogs guard in his 23rd season as head coach, will have to wait until next Thursday, against Reading High at the Geigle, to get another shot at 400.
Troyer finished with a game-high 22 points, just under his average, and was named tournament MVP. As usual, he was living at the foul line, converting 11-of-12 attempts, eight of them in the opening period. He had gone to the line 80 times in Hempfield’s first seven games.
Jon Etim led the Bulldogs with nine points; Tommy Hunsicker and Correll Akings each scored eight. Leading scorer Madyx Gruber was limited to two points, more than 10 below his average. Gruber scored a game-high 17 Wednesday in a 61-50 win over Central York, which entered the tournament with a 7-1 record.
Troyer was joined on the all-tournament team by Gruber, Jon Etim of Wilson, Spencer Troyer of Hempfield, and Ben Natal and Greg Guidinger of Central York.
The Bulldogs were bidding for their fourth Hempfield Holiday Tournament in the last five years. They beat Hempfield 52-36 last year; they also beat the Black Knights in the title game in the 2019-20 and 2018-19 seasons.
Hempfield, which reached the District 3 Class 6A semifinals last season, got off to an 0-2 start this season but now has won 5-of-6, a pair of them coming at the expense of Berks Conference Division I teams. The Knights topped Muhlenberg 55-48 Dec. 12 in Laureldale.
Wilson had risen to No. 2 in the District 3 Class 6A power ratings following Wednesday’s win.
