Twin Valley turns back Oley Valley, snaps four-game losing streak
2023 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
A non-league win in mid-December is never going to be a season-changer but for Twin Valley coach Matt Herbener Saturday’s win over Oley Valley was critical.
“It was humongous,” he said after the Raiders pulled away for a 59-49 victory at Elverson. “To be able to get a win like this, it just helps to build some confidence. If we had lost, that would’ve been five in a row; that would’ve been a big hit.”
The Lynx (1-5) opened the game by scoring the first six points, causing Herbener some concern. He called a timeout and saw his team quickly change the course of the game.
“We started moving the ball better, were able to reverse the ball, get the layups going,” he said. “That opened it up for our 3-pointers.”
Myers hit a pair of 3-pointers and Zdimal one to spark a 20-4 second-quarter advantage that led the Raiders (3-4) to a 13-point halftime lead.
Zdimal finished with 12 points, as did Carter Schmidt. Junior center Aris Drake scored a season-high 11.
The Lynx got 12 points from Carter Smith, who was playing his first game. Leading scorer Ben DeBalko was held to a season-low five points, all in the first half.
“Ben’s a very good shooter, but we were able to keep him in check,” Herbener said. “We were able to mix our defenses up against them. A lot of teams play zone against them, but we switched from our 1-3-1 to man-to-man to keep them on their toes.”
The Raiders got a spark from Evan Johnson, who returned from a football injury and played for the first time. Herbener considers him Twin Valley’s best defensive play and said he was key to the early turnaround.
“To get him back really helped,” Herbener said. “We were really missing him.”
Johnson fractured a bone in his left foot about midway through the football season but played through it, helping the Raiders win a program-record 10 games. The 1,000-yard rusher was limited to defense only in the season-ending loss to Manheim Central in the district playoffs.
He was in a boot until last Friday and didn’t practice until Monday. His return gives the Raiders some much-needed depth. They’re without freshman Lucas Myers, who was expected to be in the rotation but will miss the entire season after suffering a separated shoulder against Manheim Central.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Raiders, who opened league play with Berks II favorite Berks Catholic on Thursday and head to West Lawn Tuesday for a crossover game against Wilson, a top contender for the Berks I title.
“Opening (league play) at Berks Catholic is no easy task,” Herbener said of the 61-29 loss. “Snip Esterly has a phenomenal program, and his team is very, very good. I don’t see any drop-off at all from last year.”
