Ryan Ludwig-Wyomissing

“It’s huge!” That’s how Wyomissing head coach Ryan Ludwig responded when asked about the significance of his team’s dramatic 42-41 victory over Oley Valley on Saturday. The Spartans are within a-half game of first place Fleetwood in Division 3. They’ll square off on Monday at Fleetwood. Wyomissing entered the weekend #10 in the District 3-4A power rankings. The top ten squads get into the dance. Julian O’Brien hit a mid-range shot with five seconds remaining to stun the (11-4, 5-3) Lynx. Oley Valley, which was riding a 7-game winning streak, led for almost the entire game. O’Brien finished with 24 points. The senior guard jammed 19 into the second half. Ludwig was thrilled with the decision that O’Brien made during the last possession. He told me that they work on mid-range shots all the time. Ludwig stressed that having some quality practice time this week really helped. The (8-6, 5-2) Spartans have won five of their last six games. They struggled early against the Lynx. Wyomissing trailed 15-8 after the opening period and 22-10 midway through the second quarter. The Spartans committed nine turnovers in the first eight minutes. They were down 34-29 after the third quarter. Jaden Kelly nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Oley Valley a 39-33 advantage halfway through the final period. The Lynx hit six treys compared to three for Wyomissing. Nevin Carter connected from beyond the arc with 1:31 to go. It was his fourth 3-pointer this season and it got the Spartans within one point. That was his only field goal all afternoon. Carter is one of four starters who helped Wyomissing’s football team reach the Class 3A state championship game. The all-state DB is committed to California University of Pennsylvania, along with his teammate Amory Thompson who had eight points vs. Oley Valley. O’Brien made a floater for a 40-39 lead with 50 seconds to go. Danny Turchi responded immediately with a reverse layup to put the Lynx back on top, but O’Brien had the final answer. He was coming off a career-high 33 points in a 68-60 comeback win at Antietam on Friday. O’Brien averaged 8.5 points as a junior. He’s up to 16.5 this season. Ludwig said it was a total team effort on defense. The Spartans allowed just 14 points in the second half. Oley Valley was averaging 54 points. The Lynx managed two points over the last four minutes. Turchi was on fire in the first half with 19 points. The 6’2 senior was limited to three in the second half. Chase Reifsnyder provided eight points including a 3-pointer from the right corner at the end of the third quarter. Oley Valley had 13 turnovers over the last two quarters. The Lynx went 9-13 from the free throw line, while Wyomissing was a perfect 9-9. Oley Valley is one game behind Antietam and Tulpehocken in Division 4. Things are getting tight in the Berks Conference. Ludwig was all smiles as he left the gym, but he knows there’s still work to be done.