The Tulpehocken Trojans punched their ticket to states for the first time since 2007 with a 72-51 victory over Lancaster Catholic in the District 3 Class 3A third-place game Monday night at New Schaefferstown.
Led by David Bednarczyk’s game-high 26 points, the third-seeded Trojans (19-6) never let up and outscored the fifth-seeded Crusaders 42-21 in the second half. Four Trojans scored in double figures in what coach J.D Ricapito said he believed was an all-around victory.
“Biggest thing was everyone showed up,” Ricapito said. “In the second half they really turned it on and strengthened that lead to make it comfortable but they flew around the gym tonight and it was nice to see. David had 26 but overall we scored 72, which is nice to see because a lot of other guys contributed and when you get every single person contributing, it’s tough to play.”
Bednarczyk scored seven points in the first quarter and the Trojans went on a 10-0 run after being down 6-4 a few minutes into the game. The Crusaders (8-15) never had the lead again
“It’s awesome,” Bednarczyk said. “Just to get this for the seniors that are leaving and to clinch for the first time in 15 years in front of a home crowd; nothing compares to that.”
Tulpehocken will open play in the PIAA Tournament on March 9.
The Trojans led 17-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The 6-9 frame of Bradyn Erb made a difference for Tulpehocken in the second quarter. Erb recorded multiple defensive rebounds as well as a steal to give the Trojans an advantage in the paint.
“Big time,” Ricapito said when asked if using Erb was a main part of the Trojans’ defensive gameplan. “Having a 6-9 guy on your team is very nice. And he did a great job of just standing straight up and making them shoot over top of him, which they weren’t able to. So then we relied on our guys to get the rebound and keep pushing it up the floor.”
Bednarczyk continued his scoring in the second and finished the first half with 14 points. The Trojans led 31-29 at the half.
The Trojans started to put it away in the third quarter. Bednarczyk scored eight and senior Bryce Mellen had six of the Trojans’ 18 third-quarter points.
“We didn’t have two of our guys in the first half and we were a little bit slow there, but once we got everyone back in the second we were firing on all cylinders and no one was stopping us,” Bednarczyk said.
The Tulpehocken defense continued to stifle the Crusaders as Lancaster Catholic had few solid scoring opportunities and struggled to get offensive rebounds with Erb on the court. Lancaster Catholic scored only seven points in the third as the Tulphehocken defensive game plan worked to near perfection.
“So we mostly run a 3-2; three guys on top, two on the bottom,” Erb said when asked about his team’s defensive strategy. “We’ll try to force the ball down into the corners, our wings will drop down and then we’ll trap that corner. That’s mainly what we’re trying to do, to get them to lob the pass over to the opposite corner so we can get the interception.”
Erb had a solid night on offense, finishing with 10 points while controlling the interior at both ends.
“Honestly, this is the first time I’m going to states and as a team this is the first time in 15, so this win is exciting and really great for us,” Erb said.
Mellen and the Trojans did not let up late in the game as Tulpehocken scored 23 in the fourth. The Trojans outscored the Crusaders 23-15 in the fourth and Mellen added another seven points to his total to finish with 15.
Nolan Sweitzer also scored in double figures with 12 points. The win marks the first time the Trojans have eclipsed 70 points this season.
With the district tournament over, Tulpehocken will continue to try and ride their momentum into the PIAA Tournament.
“Keep the momentum going,” Ricaptio said when asked what the Trojans have to do moving forward. “This is a great group of guys and they just need to stick together. If they keep playing like this we’ll be good to go.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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