PIAA Tournament preview: Berks Catholic vs. Uniontown
What: PIAA Tournament first round
Classification: 4A
Who: Berks Catholic (23-4) vs. Uniontown (20-5)
When: Friday, 6:00
Where: Wolf Gymnasium
Series record: First meeting
About the Saints: Ryan Koch and Jack Miller combined to hit nine 3-pointers as they claimed second straight District 3 title with 73-44 win over Fleetwood, and fifth title in program’s 12 seasons. . . Won three tournament games by an average of 19 points. . . Josiah Jordan is averaging team-high 14.3 points and has scored program-record 1,199 points. . . Koch needs 18 points to become program’s sixth 1,000-point scorer. . . He has hit a program-record 162 3-pointers, tied for 12th in Berks history. . . His team-best 57 3’s this season are fourth-most in the league, and fourth-highest in program history; he hit 63 last season, third-highest in program history. . . Koch is shooting 81.3 percent from the foul line, one of the top figures in program history. . . Jack Miller has 46 3’s this season and 108 in his career, second-most in program history. . . Looking for first state playoff win since 2018. . . Overall, 4-8 in PIAA Tournament play, with three straight losses. . . Eliminated by Archbishop Carroll 68-61 in opening-round game at Wolf Gymnasium last year.
About the Red Raiders: Finished sixth in District 7 Tournament after entering as No. 3 seed. . . Lost to Hampton (24-2) 58-47 in sixth-place game. . . Opened season with 15 wins in first 16 games. . . Sophomore Notorious Grooms leads team in scoring (13.8), assists (5.3) and 3-pointers (35) . . . Sophomore Calvin Winfrey is averaging 12.3 points and has 29 3’s. . . Averaging 73 points, with a winning margin of 25.2. . . Scored 80 or more eight times, topped 100 twice, including 109 in a 60-point win over Waynesboro Central. . . Averaging 13 steals per game. . . Tied for first with Laurel Highlands in WPIAL 4A Division 3 in the regular season. . . Just one senior among top five scorers. . . Have won four state championships, the last in 1981 when they beat Springfield-Delco for the 3A title. . . Overall: 39-19 in PIAA play. . . Last qualified in 2014. . . Played first state tournament game in 1920.
Winner gets: (4-2) Lewisburg (16-9) or (3-3) Littlestown (20-6), Tuesday, March 14.
