Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Eastern York and Wyomissing were second and third respectively in the District 3-4A power rankings entering Wednesday night. The intriguing non-league matchup lost some of its luster with both teams missing their leading scorer. Gannon commit Carter Wamsley was out with the flu. The 6’7 senior is a 1,000 point scorer for the Golden Knights. He’s averaging 20 ppg. this season. Danny Fleischood sat out the first of two games after he received a pair of technical fouls on Saturday at Boyertown. The 6’1 junior provides nearly 13 points per game for the Spartans. “I think it hurt us more defensively than offensively. He guards the best player every night,” said first-year head coach Konlan Krick.
Eastern York outscored Wyomissing 27-to-11 in the second half of a 46-37 road victory. The (14-3) Golden Knights held the (12-4) Spartans to a season-low point total. “Their zone was great and when they were in man-to-man, it’s almost like a zone. They over help and they would not let us get to the rim,” explained Krick. Wyomissing’s six-game winning streak came to an end. The Spartans averaged 66 ppg. during that stretch, but they weren’t able to force the tempo against Eastern York. “We barely ran the floor and that’s a key part of our offense…We fell into their brand of basketball. They slowed it down. They went zone on us,” noted Krick.
Without Wamsley in the lineup, the defending District 3-4A champions struggled offensively in the opening quarter. The Golden Knights were scoreless for six and a-half minutes and trailed 6-0. Anson Morcos hit a triple in the final seconds to pull them within 6-5 after eight minutes. The 5’9 senior chipped in with eight points off the bench. Wyomissing erupted for 20 points in the second period. Birkley Ziegler, Dylan Latourelle, and Dom Arguelles each knocked down a 3-pointer. Ziegler, a 6’ senior, jammed seven of his dozen points into that quarter. The Spartans were on top 26-19 at the break.
Eastern York went on a 21-to-6 run that stretched into the fourth quarter. “They came out with more energy than we had. They were more physical,” stated Krick. The Golden Knights outscored Wyomissing 17-to-4 in the pivotal third period. Matthew Zerbe came alive with seven points and Noah Cunningham connected twice from beyond the arc in that quarter. Zerbe, who averages 4 ppg., finished with a team-high eleven points. “They started isolating guys and we weren’t playing help side [defense]. They took advantage of that,” said Krick. The Spartans trailed 36-30 entering the final period.
Ziegler splashed a trey from the left corner to make it 40-35 with three minutes remaining. Arguelles fouled out with 1:28 left. The 5’9 junior led Wyomissing with 15 points. Zerbe split two free throws to extend the margin to 43-37. Ziegler then misfired on a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 50 seconds to play. Once again, Zerbe went 1-of-2 from the foul line. Bryce Nicholson, a 6’4 junior, added two free throws with 24 seconds to go for the final score. Brady Seitz contributed nine points as Eastern York won its fifth straight game. Seitz didn’t play in Tuesday’s 59-46 win at Dover due to an illness. Nicholson and Cunningham had six points apiece. The Golden Knights were 9-for-14 from the charity stripe, while the Spartans went 3-of-5. Wyomissing was limited to four 3-pointers. The Spartans average seven triples per game. “We were missing shots we normally make. That was a big part of it,” replied Krick.
