Tulpy tops Oley, moves back into tie for first place in Berks IV

It’s looking like the Berks Conference Division IV title will be decided on the final night of the season — again.

Tulpehocken took a step closer to its first division title in 15 seasons Wednesday, knocking off defending champ Oley Valley 54-45 in a Berks IV game at New Schaefferstown.

The Trojans (8-2, 15-3) moved back into a tie for first place with Antietam (8-2, 16-3), which was idle Wednesday. Each team has two league games remaining. They meet in the season finale Feb. 8 at Tulpehocken.

“I just keep reminding myself and the team that it’s one game at a time,” said Trojans coach J.D. Ricapito, whose team has not made the Berks playoffs since 2014. “You could see the focus after the game. They’re looking ahead to the next game. You can see they’re determined.”

Bryce Mellen scored eight of his game-high 20 points in the first quarter to stake the Trojans to a 15-7 lead, and they maintained it the rest of the way. The Lynx were never able to make a run and trailed by 8-10 points throughout the second half.

Mellen, a senior forward, is within 21 points of 1,000 for his career. In addition to his scoring he played a key role Wednesday when point guard Nolan Sweitzer picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and went to the bench. Mellen took over at the point.

“He really took control of the game,” Ricapito said. “He’s one you can rely on. The guys look up to him and look for him. He’s really transformed from a boy to a young man. He knows it’s not the Bryce Mellen Show, he knows it’s a team game, and he’s going to do everything he can to put us over the top. He’s really been putting in the work and putting the team on his back.”

Aidan Miller scored 14 points for the Trojans. Danny Turchi led Oley Valley with 19.

The loss was the third straight for the Lynx (5-5, 11-6), who put together a seven-game winning streak and were within one game of the Berks IV lead.

They have dropped league games to Wyomissing, Kutztown and Tulpehocken over the past five days and are eliminated from the Berks playoffs.

Ricapito said defense was again key to the win; his team allowed just 16 first-half points.

“I’m very pleased by the way they’ve been working,” he said. “They’ve been flying around and have been very aggressive and disciplined.”

Tulpehocken’s next league game is Thursday at Kutztown. The Trojans won the first meeting 46-36 on Jan. 4 but the Cougars have been playing better lately. They have won five of their last seven games and won at Oley Valley 56-45 on Monday. The Cougars are out of the Berks playoff race but are batting for a District 3 Class 3A spot.

The 15 wins are the most for Tulpehocken since 2013-14, when it finished 15-7 and qualified for the Berks and District 3 playoffs. The Trojans haven’t won more than 15 games in a season since 2006-07, when they went 25-6.

If Wyomissing finishes second in Berks III Tulpehocken will need to win the division title in order to qualify for the Berks playoffs. A crossover loss to Wyomissing early in the season gives the Spartans the tiebreaker advantage if both finish second. If Fleetwood finishes second in Berks III the Trojans have the tiebreaker advantage over the Tigers by virtue of a head-to-head win.

Oley Valley won the Berks IV title last season by winning at Antietam 68-63 in double-overtime on the final night of league play. The teams entered that game tied for first.