It’s championship week in District 3: Here’s what to watch for

Five Berks Conference boys basketball teams have already qualified for the PIAA Tournament: Antietam Berks Catholic, Exeter, Reading High and Tulpehocken. A sixth, Wilson, needs one win to get there.

Six state entries would match the most in the same season over the past four decades.

Don’t forget: Last year, because of COVID-19, only district champs advanced. Reading High was Berks’ only state qualifier. A Wilson team that was easily one of the top three teams in the state in Class 6A stayed home.

Be thankful we don’t have such concerns this time around. We’re looking at a return to normal in the state tournament for the first time in three years.

Before the state tournament tips March 8 . . . its Championship Week in District 3.

The title games are returning to Giant Center, with three boys games set for Thursday and three more for Saturday. There are also three girls championship games each day. That’s six games each day, starting at 11 a.m. Bring a seat cushion.

Here’s a closer at Championship Week for the boys:

Class 6A

The competition has been tight. No. 5 Cedar Cliff edged No. 12 Muhlenberg 55-54 on a controversial (read that unnecessary) foul call in the final seconds, then beat No. 4 Hempfield 42-40. No. 7 Warwick needed OT to knock off No. 2 Cumberland Valley.

Top-seeded Reading High had an easy time of it against No. 9 Wilson and remains the favorite to repeat — but not as overwhelmingly as it was when the tournament began.

The Red Knights saw No. 2 scorer Daniel Alcantara, an All-Berks pick, go down with a hard fall after a dunk, injuring his wrist and back. His status for Tuesday’s semifinal against Cedar Cliff at the Geigle is uncertain, but it’s unlikely he’ll play. There’s no telling if or when he’ll be back.

With him, the Red Knights are a clear state title contender. Without him? They’re down a notch, and one of about six to eight teams that have a chance to win it all.

Wilson is in the playback round at Hempfield Tuesday at 7. The Bulldogs are competing for one of seven PIAA Tournament berths. If the Bulldogs beat the Black Knights they’ll play for fifth place. If they lose they’ll play for seventh.

Wilson lost to the Black Knights 51-50 in the Hempfield Holiday Tournament. The Bulldogs led by five heading into the fourth quarter in that one.

Class 5A

It’s a chalk Final Four: No. 1 Lampeter-Strasburg vs. No. 4 Hershey and No. 2 West York vs. No. 3 Shippensburg. The Pioneers are unbeaten and likely to remain so.

The first round, however, saw four upsets. Three double-digit seeds will make the PIAA Tournament, including No. 10 Exeter. The Eagles get a home game Monday against No. 11 Lower Dauphin. The winner plays for fifth place.

The Eagles, by the way, are back in the state tournament for the first time since 1984.

Class 4A

No surprises here, either. The top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.

No. 1 Berks Catholic hosts No. 4 Littlestown Monday at 7. The Thunderbolts advanced with a 76-63 win over No. 5 Eastern York. They’ve got a legit big in 6-7 soph Christopher Meakin. They also recorded a late-season 45-39 win over West York, the Class 5A No. 2 seed that just beat Exeter.

On the other side of the bracket: Trinity and Middletown have met twice this season in Mid-Penn Capital Division play. The Blue Raiders won 63-42 in December. The Shamrocks won 58-52 in late January.

The top five advance to states.

Class 3A

It’s No. 1 Columbia vs. No. 2 York Catholic in the championship Saturday at 4:15.

Columbia, the favorite here for months, had to squeak by in the first round, beating Lancaster Catholic 43-41.

The Crimson Tide could be one of three champs from the Lancaster-Lebanon League, along with Lampeter-Strasburg and Lancaster Mennonite, in Class 2A. Of course, Berks could end up with three champs, as well, if Antietam takes the 2A title.

No. 3 Tulpehocken acquitted itself quite well in the semifinals before falling to York Catholic 61-58. Now it faces an elimination game. The Trojans host No. 5 Lancaster Catholic Monday at 7 in the third-place game. The winner advances to the PIAA Tournament. The loser is done.

Tulpehocken hasn’t reached the state tournament since 2007.

Class 2A

It’s Antietam vs. Lancaster Mennonite in the championship game for the second straight year. The Mounts are the No. 1 seed, the Blazers No. 2. A year ago, when Antietam was the No. 4 seed and Mennonite was No. 2, the Blazers won 75-67.

The Mounts are deeper this season, with more scoring options. The Blazers have reloaded with some out-of-state talent.

They’ll play Saturday at 12:45.

Class 1A

Top-seeded Mount Calvary was taken out in the semifinals by No. 4 Lancaster Country Day — the only No. 1 to lose so far in this tournament.

LCD plays No. 2 Linville Hill Christian in the title game Thursday at 12:45.