Tulpehocken’s David Bednarczyk tops 1,000-point scoring milestone
All those hours spent on his driveway, putting up shot after shot, have paid off for Tulphocken’s David Bednarczyk.
He scored 17 points Monday in a 72-61 loss at Hamburg to become the eighth player in Tulpehocken boys basketball history to top 1,000 career points. He entered the game needing 12 points to reach the milestone.
Bednarczyk broke the 1,000-point mark in the third quarter, when he scored 11 points: Six from the free throw line, five on a pair of field goals, one from 3-point range. He finished the game with 1,005 points, one more than Robert Ekvall, who topped the mark in 2015.
Kevin McFarland III scored a career-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, to lead the Hawks (4-2 Berks III, 9-5). Xander Menapace scored 21 points.
Nolan Sweitzer had 18 points for the Trojans (0-7 Berks IV, 5-12), who trailed just 48-44 after three quarters. McFarland and Menapace combined for 18 fourth-quarter points.
Bednarczyk played 16 varsity games as a freshman but it wasn’t until his sophomore year, when he broke into the starting lineup, that he gained confidence and thought he had a chance to reach 1,000 points.
“Tenth grade was a breakout year for me,” he said. “Before that, I was pretty intimidated by the guys on the varsity court. I had no experience on that level. Sophomore year’s when I saw (this) was possible. It’s been one of my goals (since then).”
The 6-1 senior scored 17 points in his first varsity start, in the Trojans’ season-opener his sophomore season; he hasn’t stopped scoring since.
| Tulpehocken scoring leaders | Senior season | Career points |
| Charlie Copp | 1999-2000 | 2,440 |
| Mike Herb | 1990-1991 | 1,348 |
| Ben Delewski | 1995-1996 | 1,230 |
| Bryan Byler | 1993-1994 | 1,145 |
| Brady Haughney | 2006-2007 | 1,103 |
| Bryce Mellen | 2021-2022 | 1,066 |
| David Bednarczyk | 2022-23 | 1,005 |
| Robert Ekvall | 2014-2015 | 1,004 |
He had 30 points in his fifth game that season and ended it with a career-high 36 in the regular season finale against Hamburg, then 34 in a first-round disrict loss to Camp Hill. He topped his career-best with 38 points last season against Hamburg.
Bednarczyk averaged a team-leading 17.6 points per game as a sophomore, then a team-best 16.5 last year, when the Trojans went 19-7 and won in districts for the first time since 2006-07 — before he ever touched a basketball.
He was the top shooter in Division IV of the Berks Conference last season when he knocked down 45 3-pointers in 26 games, including a career-best six at Antietam.
“He’s like a microwave,” said former Tulpehocken assistant coach Nelson Leon. “When he’s hot, he’s hot. Give him the ball and get out of his way.”
Bednarczyk is averaging a team-best 18.1 points this season. He missed eight games after breaking two bones in his right hand in the season-opener. He returned Jan. 3.
Bednarczyk was on the floor last season when teammate Bryce Mellen topped 1,000 points and thought: “That’s gonna be me (next year).”
