Taylor Boyer leads Tulpehocken to another winning season
With a 42-33 loss to Oley Valley on Feb. 17, the season came to an end for the Tulpehocken High School girls basketball team. It also marked the end of an impressive high school career for Taylor Boyer, who scored 706 points.
In this her senior season, she led the team in scoring with 307 points (13.4 per game), shooting at a 61 percent clip from the foul line. But her contributions to the team go much deeper then how many points she scores.
“Taylor has grown, as both a basketball player and a young lady, so much in the past four years, it’s hard to put into words,’ said Tulpehocken head girls basketball coach William Moyer. “This year we needed her to step up as leader, not just a player, and she has done that. Because of her basketball ability, and now the leadership quality, she has been irreplaceable to our team.’
“I feel my high school basketball career has been quite successful for me at Tulpehocken,’ said Boyer. “I worked really hard in the off seasons, playing AAU so that I could earn a varsity position my sophomore year.’
After very limited playing time on the varsity team as a freshman, Boyer got what she was working for during her sophomore year. She not only started for the team that season, she led the team in scoring with 170 points on the season, 7.7 points a game. She led the team in scoring her junior season as well, averaging 10.4 points a game. This year she has done it all for the team, leading the Lady Trojans to a 14-9 overall record, which is the most wins the team has had in one season during the six-year tenure of Coach Moyer. This is also the second straight season the team has qualified for the districts.
The district opening loss was especially disappointing to the team since they were heading into the tournament on a three-game winning streak.
“The last couple game we have played phenomenally,’ said Boyer before the district loss to Oley Valley. “We have worked so well and executed our offense and defense.’
Boyer started playing basketball in seventh grade. She was talked into trying the sport by her friend, and present teammate, Darian Gordon. Once she started playing, it didn’t take long for her to love, and excel at, the sport.
“The thing I love most about playing basketball is that I can forget about everything else that’s going on in life and just play for me and my teammates,’ said Boyer.
Her teammates mean everything to Boyer. She has loved the teams she has played with at Tulpehocken over the past four years, and feels she needs to play well to help the team win.
“I do feel a lot of pressure to score points to secure a win for my team,’ said Boyer. “I feel as if my team counts on me and I beat myself up a lot when we don’t win. I replay everything I could of done differently to help win the game.’
In addition to all she does on the court, she is also a team captain. She takes the role seriously. She’s a vocal leader, always trying to get the most out of her teammates.
“I do feel I need to take a leadership role for the team,’ said Boyer. “Being a senior and a captain, I need to keep the team focused during practice and calm during intense games.’
Boyer’s high school basketball career may be over, but she plans on playing basketball in college. She hasn’t decided on what college that will be, but she has it narrowed down to Juniata or Delaware Valley. Although she’s looking forward to her college experience, she will miss her time on the Tulpehocken basketball team.
“The thing I’m going to remember most about my high school basketball career is chemistry of the team,’ said Boyer. “The coaches’ jokes, the fun practices, the big wins, the support of our Tulpy fans, and most importantly being a Tulpy athlete, is what I will remember. I’m definitely going to miss all of this.’
