Jake Karnish proves to be valuable weekend pick-up for Lynx
If you’re going to pick up a ringer for a weekend tournament, pick up a good one.
Oley Valley did.
The Lynx knew they would be shorthanded for the Cedar Beach Basketball Showcase so Ben Debalko asked his cousin to join them.
It worked out pretty well, seeing how his cousin is Jake Karnish, an All-Berks wing at Fleetwood. All the rising senior did was lead the Lynx to five straight wins, Saturday and Sunday, and to the championship game of the Small School division.
The 6-2 Karnish was all over the place, grabbing rebounds, running the court, throwing down dunks with either hand. He was the best player on the court in just about every game. He had 21 points in a 73-33 win over Roberto Clemente Sunday and 24 in a 64-44 win over Warren Hills later in the afternoon.
| Past team champs from Berks | |
| 2013 | Wilson |
| 2017 | Berks Catholic |
| 2018 | Berks Catholic |
| 2019 | Wilson |
“They said they were a little shorthanded, so they asked me if I wanted to play this weekend,” Karnish said. “I didn’t have anything, so I said why not.
“It’s easy when you have a team like this. We just jelled together. I could find cutters; I could cut and they found me. It just made it a lot easier on me to play with them.”
Had the Lynx not fallen to Holy Cross 60-44 in the championship game Karnish might’ve walked away with MVP honors. Karnish scored 15 points in the final game; Jaden Kelly had 14 for the Lynx. Tournament MVP Gabe Gonzalez of Holy Cross scored 20.
Adding Karnish to your weekend hoops roster is like picking up Bryce Harper for your Slowpitch softball tournament.
“He’s a really good player,” said Oley coach Matt Barrell of Karnish, who averaged 17.5 points and led the Tigers to their first division title in more than 60 years last season. He was the first Fleetwood player to earn All-Berks honors in at least 30 years.
Karnish also earned all-division honors in baseball, as a pitcher and shortstop for Fleetwood.
Karnish and the Lynx are familiar with each other. He and Debalko, who’s two years younger, have grown up playing together. Karnish often joins pickup games with Debalko and his Oley teammates.
Fleetwood doesn’t have a team entered in the West Reading Summer League so Barrell included Karnish on the Oley roster. Last summer he played in a playoff game with Oley.
“They have a great rapport,” Barrell said. “They enjoy him, and he likes being around us.”
The Lynx sure needed him. As it was they went through the seven-game tournament — with just an hour break between games Sunday — with just seven players.
For the championship game they were down to six after rising junior Keith Neal, another expected starter next season, wasn’t available due to a work commitment. He played in the early wins Sunday but had to leave before the championship game. In the final six minutes of the final game they were down to five players, as Karnish had to leave because of a leg cramp.
Chase Reifsnyder, expected to be one of the Lynx’s top players next season, and the Turchi twins — rising juniors Johnny and David — weren’t available over the weekend.
That’s the way it is at a small school, especially one such as Oley Valley which has outstanding programs in soccer and baseball. There are a number of multi-sport athletes on the Lynx basketball team who have summer commitments in other sports.
“You don’t have many small schools in here,” Barrell said, “because it’s tough to get teams together. It’s tough for a lot of smaller schools to get numbers. Right now we’ve got kids committed (to playing basketball), and that’s good. They’re strong-minded kids and they fought back (after) losing that first night.”
Oley Valley was one of 11 teams in the Small School bracket. It lost its opening game Friday against Lehighton — Karnish wasn’t available — before winning five straight. The Lynx knocked off Bethlehem Christian, Catasaqua and Lehighton on Saturday as they worked their way through the playback bracket in the double-elimination tournament.
Barrell wasn’t able to bring previous teams to Cedar Beach but was anxious to expose this group to the unique atmosphere and the heavy competition.
“I wanted them to see other good teams, and to get to see these big schools play,” he said. “Being around in this environment (is good for them); these games are so intense.”
“It was a great experience,” Karnish said. “It was a fun atmosphere. It was hot, but it was fun.”
Karnish had never played in a formal setting with his cousin, so he was especially looking forward to that. It worked out well for both.
DeBalko, a rising sophomore who saw time in 15 varsity games last season, brings a strong 3-point presence to the team. He knocked down three 3’s in a win at Upper Perkiomen last season.
“Ben’s a shooter, so it makes my job a little easier knowing I can just drive and kick to the corner and he’ll knocked ’em down,” Karnish said. “It’s nice to have a shooter like that that you can count on. It was just fun to play with him.”
“They love playing together,” Barrell said of the cousins. “Hey, if they can play good basketball together, and they’re enjoying having fun, that’s what it’s all about.”
