Hoop Notes: If the Berks Conference playoffs started today . . . milestones, and reunions
League play has only been in full swing for week, but it’s not too early to look at potential Berks playoff match-ups, is?
No, it never is.
At this point Reading High and Muhlenberg are locks to make the eight-team Berks Conference playoffs, and Antietam is trending in that direction.
Berks Catholic, Fleetwood and Tulpehocken are all off to good starts and on the way to postseason berths, as projected in the preseason (though the Trojans might have trouble making the Berks field).
Most of the Berks playoff spots are still up for grabs.
The BCIAA adopted a new format last season. The eight-team field is composed of the four division champs; a runner-up from Berks I or II; a runner-up from Berks III or IV; and the two remaining teams with the highest power rating. (The Berks I-II and Berks III-IV runner-up spots are determined strictly by head-to-head meetings, not power ratings.)
Figure on Reading High for an unbeaten league run and the No. 1 seed, and to open against No. 8. At this point that would be Wyomissing, though the Spartans have yet to face Fleetwood. The Tigers or Spartans will win Berks III.
Berks Catholic has been the strongest of the Berks I contenders at this point and would be the No. 2 seed if the playoffs started today (the teams are seeded 1-thru-8, based on power ratings, and barring any challenges).
Wilson, which dropped its first three games, will have something to say about that, starting Tuesday, when it hosts the Saints. The Bulldogs came to life last week and knocked off Berks II leader Muhlenberg, so they can’t be counted out.
Berks Catholic, Exeter, Wilson and Mifflin will all be in the Berks playoff hunt; only three, at most, will make the field.
Right now the Mustangs are on the outside looking in by that could flip by Tuesday night if they win Exeter, and Wilson loses to BC. This will be a day-by-day thing.
It’ll likely come down to Feb. 8, when Exeter plays at Mifflin and Wilson plays at BC.
The Saints have one of the highest power ratings (.801) in District 3 right now; they could finish third in the division and still earn the No. 2 seed in the county playoffs.
Muhlenberg will win Berks II and might end up as the No. 3 seed; No. 2 if the Saints take some hits in Berks I.
Wyomissing is just 3-3 but its season-opening win over Tulpehocken could loom large. If the Spartans finish second in Berks III and the Trojans are second in Berks IV Wyomissing gets the Berks III-IV berth. Tulpehocken would have to win the Berks IV title to get in. It’s now two games back of Antietam after a 50-48 loss last week to the Mounts.
So at the moment here’s what the Berks quarterfinals would look like (this figures to chance a couple hundred times over the next month):
1 Reading High vs. 8 Wyomissing
4 Antietam vs. 5 Exeter
3 Muhlenberg vs. 6 Fleetwood
2 Berks Catholic vs. 7 Wilson
Back on top
Reading High headed to Harrisburg Monday night back at No. 1 in the District 3 Class 6A power ratings and with the highest power rating of any team in the district (.811).
The Red Knights had fallen behind Cedar Cliff for a few days; the Colts are still unbeaten but are hurt by their strength of schedule.
Berks Catholic (.801) has the fifth-highest power rating in the district. It’s only loss came to Reading High.
Sidelines
Rick Perez coached his 302nd game for Reading High Monday; that’s one more than Jim Gano, who set the record at 301 after coaching the Red Knights for 10 seasons.
Perez needs 19 more wins to match Gano’s program record of 251.
The Reggie Bowl
Former Reggie Weiss assistants Snip Esterly of Berks Catholic and Matt Coldren of Wilson meet again Tuesday in West Lawn in a Berks I game. Each is one win away from a milestone.
A Wilson victory will make Coldren the winningest coach in program history, topping Weiss’ record 362 victories.
A Berks Catholic victory will send Coldren past Speedy Morris on the all-time Pennsylvania boys basketball wins chart, with 755.
Esterly coached with Weiss at Central Catholic; Coldren coached with him at Wilson. Each played for him at Wilson.
They have met 10 times since Esterly became the Saints’ coach; Wilson has won six of those, including the last four.
Red Knight reunion
Monday’s game between Muhlenberg and Dieruff matched former Reading High assistants. Matt Flowers is in his first season as the Muhls’ head coach; Jai-T Randall is in his second season with the Huskies. The Muhls won 73-63.
They were on the Red Knights’ staff for the 2017 PIAA championship and coached together through the end of the 2019-20 season.
