Ephrata drops non-league contest to Wyomissing
Written by: TJ Eck on February 1, 2024
The game started well for Ephrata Thursday night.
“I thought our energy was really good,” said Ephrata head coach Scott Gaffey. “We played really hard, we got after them.”
The Mounts forced seven first-quarter turnovers and built a 12-point lead but couldn’t hold on in a 61-51 non-league loss to visiting Wyomissing at Ephrata Middle School Thursday evening.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Wyomissing head coach Garrett Etzel. “It hasn’t happened often that we are down that much in a game but they’re battle tested and got back into it.”
A Trent Wolf putback gave Ephrata a 24-11 lead with about five minutes to play in the first half. It appeared like the Mounts were going to run away with this one but Wyomissing fought back and trailed by seven at the break.
In the third quarter, the game changed.
The Spartans reeled off an 8-0 run less than two minutes into the second half. That run stretched to 12-0 before a Wolf bucket got Ephrata on the board in the third quarter.
“It’s hard to get stops, you know, when you can’t set your defense because we weren’t scoring,” said Gaffey. “I think they got too many easy baskets.”
Wyomissing held a 42-38 lead after three quarters. Ephrata was able to get within one in the fourth quarter when Max Tipton scored back-to-back buckets for the road team and extend the Spartans’ lead.
Eight different players scored for Wyomissing and the Spartans outrebounded the Mounts, 34-14.
“We were able to use our bench,” said Etzel. “Keep everyone on the same pace, keep everyone fresh…our bench did a very good job.”
Danny Fleischood led Wyomissing with 17 points and eight rebounds. Aiden Schippers added 16 points while Tipton and Dylan Latourelle combined to score 12 points and haul in 11 boards off the bench.
The Spartans improve to 11-8 overall and pick up a critical win in their push to earn a Class AAAA District 3 tournament berth. Wyomissing entered the night No. 14 in the district power ratings. The top ten teams qualify for the district tournament.
“It was huge,” said Etzel. “We knew that we gotta get some of these big wins…it was a big game, the kids knew it was a big game.”
Ephrata was led in scoring by Brayden Brown and Cooper Truskey, who logged nine points apiece Thursday night.
The Mounts drop to 11-7 overall and remain on the bubble for the Class AAAAAA District 3 tournament. Ephrata entered Thursday at No. 14 in the district power ratings with the top 12 teams qualifying for the postseason.
“We get the chance to bounce back (Friday vs. Conestoga Valley),” said Gaffey. “All of the goals are right there. Let’s try to make districts, let’s try for league playoffs, and let’s try to win more games than last year.”
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