Muhlenberg ends Berks Catholic’s perfect start in thrilling fashion, 48-46 (updated with boxscore)
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
Luis Valentin forced two key turnovers in the final minute as Muhlenberg held off unbeaten Berks Catholic 48-46 Friday in a thrilling Berks Conference crossover game at Laureldale.
Muhlenberg’s J’Daniel Mosquera knocked down both ends of a double bonus with 1.6 seconds remaining to snap a tie.
Jack Miller had a 3-point look at the buzzer but the shot glanced off the rim and the Saints’ second-best start to open a season was over.
Xzayvion Robertson carried the Muhls (3-2 Berks I, 8-5) with a game-high 24 points, including 17 in the first half when the Saints (5-1 Berks II, 12-1) fell behind by as many as eight points.
The wild final minute included four turnovers — three consecutive with the clock moving less than a second — six timeouts, a lengthy discussion at the scoring table over Berks Catholic’s remaining timeouts and a gang of pivotal plays, several of which Valentin found himself in the middle of.
His steal and layup gave the Muhls a 46-42 lead with 48 seconds left. He then turned it over with 35 seconds to go when he was called for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball.
Moments later Valentin forced a turnover when he batted away a Berks Catholic inbounds attempt. Valentine turned the ball over again on an inbounds attempt when he moved off the spot, a violation.
Josiah Jordan, who scored a team-high 20 points, tied it for the Saints with 26 seconds left when he followed his own miss.
The Muhls held for the final shot before Mosquera was fouled by Jordan.
The Muhls held the Saints to a season-low point total and nearly 20 points below their average with outstanding defense out of their 3-2 and 2-3 zones.
Berks Catholic, which was averaging seven 3-pointers per game, went just 4-for-20 from beyond the arc.
The Muhls were also terrific with the ball. They didn’t turn it over once in the first half and had just one turnover in the second half before turning it over twice in the final minute.
The Saints, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Ryan Koch, surged ahead at the start of the second half, scoring the first eight points to lead 30-27. They led by as many as five after Jordan’s three-point play with 3:58 to go in the third quarter.
Berks Catholic took its final lead at 37-36 on Jordan’s baseline drive with 5:37 remaining. Robertson answered with a 3-pointer for a 39-37 lead. Robertson was good on 4-of-6 3-pointers, and the Muhls made 7-of-17.
Koch finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, helping the Saints to a 37-23 edge on the boards.
Berks Catholic opened 14-0 in 2011-12, its first season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Berks Catholic | 14 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 46 |
| Muhlenberg | 13 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 48 |
| Saints (12-1) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Geddio | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Jordan | 8-15 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| Koch | 3-8 | 2-2 | 3-8 | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| Miller | 1-6 | 0-0 | 1-6 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| J. McKoy | 3-4 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| K. McKoy | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Nein | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lawlor | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 16-42 | 10-14 | 4-20 | 9 | 33-37 | 46 |
| Muhls (8-5) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Robertson | 8-13 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| Mosquera | 1-6 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Valentin | 2-7 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Alcantara | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Adonis | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Towles | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Branch | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Archie | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Collado | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 17-46 | 7-11 | 71-7 | 6 | 20-23 | 48 |
Turnovers: Berks Catholic 11, Muhlenberg 3.