Tulpehocken ready to make a deep run through districts
There’s no doubt that not qualifying for the Berks League playoffs was a big disappointment for the Tulpehocken High School girls basketball team, but you also can’t say it hasn’t been a good season for the Lady Trojans. They head into the district playoffs with a 14-8 record, which is the most wins the team has had during the six year reign of head coach Bill Moyer.
Although the Trojans didn’t make the Berks League playoffs, they have a chance to make up for that with a good showing in the District 3-AA Tournament which got underway for Tulpehocken with a home game against Oley Valley on Feb. 17. Due to our press deadline, we are unable to report the results of the contest.
“We need to focus on one game at a time and execute the game plan,’ said Moyer about the key to his team going far in district play. “Whatever happens then, we can’t control.’
The first goal the Trojans set for themselves was to make the Berks League playoffs, but there are some things you can’t control there either. The Lady Trojans finished with a 6-4 league record, which could get you a second place finish in the division. But Wyomissing and Brandywine Heights each had 8-2 records to take the top two spots. Still, it has been a good season for the Trojans.
“We have been successful in that we won more games than any of my six years here at Tulpehocken. and we have beaten teams that we have never beaten before,’ said Moyer. “Overall, we haven’t accomplished one of our goals, but more are still achievable.’
It was a slow start for Tulpehocken, losing three of its first four games. On Dec. 15, the Trojans turned things around with a 31-29 victory over Wyomissing to open the Berks League season, then two days later they crushed Antietam, 47-14. They had a 2-0 league record with wins over two solid teams. It was the start of a five game winning streak that had the Trojans sitting pretty in the division.
But the girls struggled within the division the rest of the way. They lost a pair of games to Brandywine Heights, then lost the second time they played Wyomissing, as well as a 53-31 loss to Oley Valley. It cost the Trojans a spot in the Berks playoffs and a higher seed in the district tournament.
The good news is that the team is going into the districts on a bit of a roll, winning the final three teams on the schedule, Halifax, Kutztown and Twin Valley.
“We have played much better as of late,’ said Moyer. “We also have a better mentality as districts approach. We need to focus on one game at a time and execute the game plan. Whatever happens then, we can’t control.’
Moyer hopes his team can get more scoring in district play. They will need to up their point total if they want to go far and qualify for states. Right now the team relies mostly on Taylor Boyer and Darian Gordon to do the scoring. Taylor leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points a game, while Gordon is averaging 10.8 points a game. The two have combined for 520 of the team’s 873 points.
The team has played well defensively, but Moyer knows that won’t be enough. Even if one more player can catch fire with her shot, it might be enough for this year to win in the post-season. There is enough talent on this team to make it a long trip though the district and state playoffs.
