Hempfield Holiday Tournament: Day Two
Written by: TJ Eck on December 28, 2023
Troyer, Black Knights take down Wilson to win Hempfield Holiday Tournament
Ben Troyer is the leading scorer in the Lancaster-Lebanon League but it was a pass that he made Thursday night that propelled Hempfield to a 47-42 victory over Wilson in the championship game of the Black Knights’ holiday tournament.
“Throughout practice I always tell everyone to be ready because you never know what I’m going to do,” said Troyer.
With the Black Knights clinging to a two-point lead late in the third quarter, Troyer delivered a jaw-dropping behind-the-back pass to Caden Axe and Axe converted the ensuing layup to push Hempfield in front, 37-33.
“I saw him out of the corner of my eye so I just trusted it and it worked,” said Troyer.
The crucial bucket came as Wilson was threatening to overtake the Black Knights, who had built a double-digit lead at halftime. Spencer Troyer, the younger brother of Ben, banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Hempfield a 31-19 edge at the break.
Wilson came out of the locker room strong and opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run. That’s when the elder Troyer came up with his biggest play of the night.
“He (Ben Troyer) got other people involved and when that happened he was able to go to work in some other different ways,” said Hempfield head coach Danny Walck.
Troyer, who entered the week with a league-best 25 points per game scoring average, got off to a good start in the first quarter. He relentlessly attacked the basket on drives, drawing multiple fouls in the process. Troyer scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the opening frame and knocked down 11 of 12 free throws on the night while adding seven rebounds.
“From the start of the game, once they pressed me out further from the basket, I knew I was quick enough that I could get by some of them and then get into the lane and get fouled or get a bucket with it too,” said Troyer.
The younger Troyer brother, Spencer, also had a strong night. He scored 12 points and pulled in four rebounds. Meanwhile, Hempfield guards Nick Deeg and Camden Weyforth combined to score seven points and haul in ten boards.
Wilson was led in scoring by Jon Etim, who registered nine points in the loss. The Bulldogs drop to 8-2 overall.
Thursday night’s victory was Hempfield’s third straight and fifth in its last six games. It’s also, perhaps, the most impressive result posted by a L-L League team this season. Wilson entered the night No. 2 in the AAAAAA District 3 rankings. Hempfield was at No. 13 prior to the win. Twelve teams qualify for the 6A District 3 tournament.
“We want to celebrate this,” said Walck. “As far as over the weekend, then we gotta get ready for league play again.”
Hempfield is now 5-3 overall. The Black Knights return to action next Friday (Jan. 5) with a home game against L-L League Section 1 foe Penn Manor.
Central York rolls past ETown in consolation game
Central York led from start to finish in a dominant 71-37 victory over Elizabethtown in the consolation game of the Hempfield Holiday Tournament Thursday night.
The Panthers opened the game on a 13-0 run and led 43-19 at halftime.
Ben Natal led Central York in scoring with 17 points while adding five rebounds. Greg Guidinger chipped in 15 points and with a bucket in the third quarter he became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Panthers’ program.
Freshman forward Daniel Gilhool paced the Bears with 11 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Andrews added eight points and four rebounds in the loss for ETown.
Central York improves to 8-2 overall while ETown drops to 1-9 overall. The Bears return to action next Tuesday (Jan. 2) when they visit Warwick for a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 matchup.
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