Ben DeBalko-Oley Valley

Ben DeBalko worked on his jumper all summer with assistant coach Dan Korejwo. DeBalko tried to take 1,000 shots three or four days a week. His hard work has paid off during his sophomore campaign. The 6’ guard splashed back-to-back 3-pointers from the left corner to give Oley Valley a 50-44 advantage over Brandywine Heights with five minutes remaining. “It’s a great feeling just to hear the crowd erupt after hitting those [shots]. That’s my spot in the corner. Once I released it, I knew they were going in,” said DeBalko. The third-seeded Lynx pulled away late for a 67-53 victory in the District 3-3A quarterfinals. Oley beat the (11-12) Bullets twice in the regular season, but their most recent meeting went to overtime. “They’re a great team. They’re scrappy, they’re tough. I was a little nervous coming out of halftime,” admitted DeBalko. The (19-5) Lynx raced out to a 9-1 lead. They were in front 14-5 after eight minutes. Brandywine Heights responded with a 13-2 run to start the second quarter. Scotty Ray came off the bench and connected twice from long distance. He’s one of four freshmen that got playing time for the sixth-seeded Bullets. They lost eight of their top nine players from a season ago to graduation. Head coach Dave Moseley started two freshmen and two sophomores on Monday night. They were even at 25 at halftime. Oley rattled off nine of the first eleven points in the third period. However, Brandywine Heights responded again and tied it up at 44 early in the fourth quarter. DeBalko scored eight of his 14 points in the final period. The Lynx went 9-of-11 from the free throw line down the stretch. They ended the game with a 23-9 run. Oley outscored Brandywine Heights 29-18 over the last eight minutes. David Turchi, a 6’4 junior, provided 14 points in a balanced attack. Senior guards Chase Rubendall (12) and Jaden Kelly (11) combined for 23 points. DeBalko gave credit to Rubendall, Kelly, and Keith Neal. “They’re great at giving advice. I know we can go to them down the stretch. It’s great to have those senior leaders,” he replied. Johnny Turchi, David’s twin brother, chipped in with nine points off the bench. The Bullets were led by sophomore Jayden Kantner. The all-division guard finished with 14 points. Freshman Nate Winkler added nine. Each team hit six triples. Brandywine Heights was 7-13 from the charity stripe. Their season ends, while the Lynx advance to the semifinals. They’ll travel to #2 seed Trinity on Thursday at 7pm. Oley moved down from Class 4A to 3A this year. The Lynx have won 12 of their last 13 contests. DeBalko leads the Berks Conference with 61 treys. When he’s not working on his shot, he enjoys reading books. We also discussed his favorite food, movie, and teachers.