Berlin Brothersvalley captures 2nd straight Veterans' Holiday Basketball Tournament title

BERLIN — Berlin Brothersvalley can seemingly dial up the defensive pressure at will. The Mountaineers gave Conemaugh Township a first-hand look at just how devastating that can be.

Senior guard Pace Prosser recorded a game-high 28 points, and Berlin combined a relentless defense with 13 3-pointers to pick up an 85-55 victory in the championship game of the Berlin Veterans’ Home Association Holiday Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.

“We weren’t shooting great, but we were getting more shots than them,” said Berlin coach Tanner Prosser. “We were creating turnovers and getting second chances. Eventually you’re going to find the hoop when you do that.”

Prosser secured MVP honors after scoring a tournament-best 43 points over two games that also included an 82-26 beatdown of Perry Traditional Academy on Wednesday night. Senior Craig Jarvis joined him on the all-tournament team after tallying 25 points.

Mac Foor hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points, while Carson Jarvis and Haydon Hutzell combined for 12 points. Hutzell, who scored a game-high 20 points against Perry on Wednesday, joined Prosser and Jarvis on the all-tournament team.

Sophomore Colin Dinyar collected a team-high 18 points for Conemaugh Township (8-2) and was named to the all-tournament team. A night after clearing 1,000 points for his career, Jon Updyke drained four 3-pointers and added 17 points to secure all-tournament team honors. Ethan Matera contributed 10 points.

Berlin (8-1) counteracted what wasn’t working on the offensive end in the opening minutes with a suffocating defense that prevented Conemaugh Township from sustaining any kind of momentum.

Prosser sank a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter to give Berlin an 8-5 lead that it never surrendered.

Conemaugh Township never punched back and trailed by as many as 23 late in the first half.

“We’ll chalk it up to lessons learned, no doubt about it,” Conemaugh Township coach Chuck Lesko said. “Hopefully we can learn that we need to respond to the bell. I don’t know if we did that tonight.”

Despite a trying start, the Mountaineers still led 20-9 after one and opened the second quarter on a 17-5 blitz that ended with a triple from Prosser to put them in front 37-14.

Berlin snatched multiple offensive rebounds in succession on several occasions throughout the first half. The Mountaineers made the most of those opportunities.

“I think that’s a byproduct of playing really hard, which I thought we did tonight,” said Coach Prosser on the amount of shots his team put up. “We had multiple guys go get second chances. For the most part, we did a nice job of covering things up on the press and getting good ball pressure. It was good to see.”

The Mountaineers led by as many as 28 in the third quarter when Prosser hit a pair of free throws to make it 62-34. It was 68-41 heading to the fourth.

Note: Northern Garrett beat Perry Traditional Academy 46-43 in the consolation game earlier in the evening.

Updyke surpasses 1,000 career points in tourney opener

Conemaugh Township’s Jon Updyke has fully embraced his de facto leadership role while compiling the type of individual achievements that can inspire his younger teammates.

The senior forward scored a game-high 18 points and eclipsed 1,000 for his career in the process to help Conemaugh Township rout Northern Garrett 71-40 in the opening game of the Berlin Veterans’ Home Association Holiday Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night.

“His stats speak for themselves,” said Conemaugh Township coach Chuck Lesko of his only rostered senior. “He’s just been a multi-faceted contributor at all ends of the game.”

Following a season-opening tournament loss to Central Cambria, Conemaugh Township has strung together eight straight wins. Extending that streak will mean getting by Berlin Brothersvalley in the tournament championship set for Thursday night at 8 p.m.

The quartet of sophomore starters took turns contributing in a game that was never in doubt. Colin Dinyar recorded 16 points, including 12 in the second quarter. Ethan Matera provided 15 points, nine coming in the first. Brennan Lohr drilled four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points, while Stephen Stango added eight.

Updyke has been a steady presence in guiding that young group through their first season as members of the Heritage Conference.

“It’s really fun. They look up to me,” said Updyke of the leadership opportunity. “I want to help them get better every day. They’re a great group of sophomores. They work hard every day, and they’re great basketball players.”

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The lead swelled to 35 late in the first half before Conemaugh Township (8-1) took a 46-13 lead into the break. It didn’t get any closer after intermission.

Updyke hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 64-28. On the ensuing possession, he drove the lane for an uncontested layup to make it 66-29 and secure the milestone that brought about an applause and a brief pause in the game with 1:11 to go in the third quarter.

Conemaugh Township held the Huskies (2-3) without a field goal for the first 4:30. Meanwhile, it built a 15-0 advantage capped by a traditional 3-point play from Matera. It was 22-4 by the end of the first quarter.

“We were going into the season with basically four new starters,” said Lesko of how his team has meshed thus far. “I didn’t know where we would be. Really since our very first half, they’ve matured in exponential capacities. We know we have a lot of work to do yet, but we certainly like the direction we’re going in.”

Hutzell, Berlin Brothersvalley crush Perry Academy in nightcap

Junior Haydon Hutzell recorded a game-high 20 points, Craig Jarvis added 18 points and Berlin Brothersvalley trounced Perry Traditional Academy 82-26 in the nightcap of the Berlin Veterans’ Home Association Holiday Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.

Senior guard Pace Prosser provided 16 points, all coming in the first half after sitting for the majority of the final two quarters with the game in hand. Mac Foor and Levi Leonard each contributed eight points.

It was a familiar outcome for the Mountaineers, who won by at least 37 points for the fifth time already this season.

“We had some days off with the Christmas break, so it was good to get back on the floor, get up-and-down and get our legs underneath us," said Berlin coach Tanner Prosser. We’ll have a big challenge (on Thursday).

While the lopsided scores might not be the most accurate performance gauge for the Mountaineers at times, the games have provided a chance to witness a handful of underclassmen in varsity minutes.

After returning just two full-time regulars in Jarvis and Prosser, Berlin is attempting to piece together a reliable bench and determine what underclassmen can contribute as the season matures.

“We’re still developing a bench and figuring out what roles guys are going to play,” said Coach Prosser. “In a game like this one, we’re able to get some more guys in the game and get guys more shots. I thought our guys played pretty well overall tonight.”

The Mountaineers led 28-13 after the first quarter. They opened the second on an 18-3 run that was capped by a layup from Hutzell to make it 46-16. Berlin went into halftime in front 52-19.

Despite a younger cast of characters around them, the duo of Jarvis and Prosser have been dynamic and the main reason for the 7-1 start to the year.

“It’s a different team because we had a lot of the same guys playing for two years in a row,” said Coach Prosser of the transition year-to-year for his senior backcourt. “Those two guys have to be great leaders. Other guys got to just keep working off of that. I like what they’re doing so far, but we have a long way to go.”

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This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin routs Conemaugh Township for Veterans' Holiday Tournament title