Berks Catholic holds off Trinity in battle of District 3 heavyweights
2023 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Kingston McKoy scored 10 of his team-high 29 points in overtime as Berks Catholic held off Trinity 77-73 Thursday in a battle of District 3 heavyweights at Camp Hill.
The Shamrocks (6-2), ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class 3A power ratings, scored 30 fourth-quarter points to send the game into overtime tied 65-65.
Once there McKoy scored 10 of the Saints’ 12 points, hitting six of 10 free throws.
Parker Nein scored 22 points for the Saints before fouling out. He had 10 in the second quarter to help them take a 31-24 lead into halftime.
The Saints (6-0), ranked No. 1 in the district in Class 4A, stretched their lead to nine after three quarters.
Owen Schlager, a 6-3 junior guard who has offers from American University and Loyola of Maryland, scored 13 fourth-quarter points to fuel the Shamrocks’ comeback. He finished with a game-high 36 points, including all eight of Trinity’s points in overtime.
Trinity used a pair of Reece Brown 3-pointers and 10 free throws overall in their fourth-quarter comeback. Brown scored 10 points before fouling out.
The game matched two of the winningest coaches in Pennsylvania boys basketball history. Trinity’s Larry Kostelac ranks No. 6 all-time with 808 wins. Berks Catholic’s Snip Esterly is one spot behind; he picked up win No. 798 Thursday.
The Saints play Tuesday at Pottsville, then Thursday Jan. 4 at Daniel Boone. Esterly, Berks’ all-time winningest coach, could reach 800 wins if the Saints win both games.
The win was the third straight for Berks Catholic over Trinity over the past three seasons. Schlager scored a game-high 23 points in last year’s 67-63 loss to the Saints.
Trinity and Berks Catholic each won district championships last season.
McKoy, Elijah Komoro and Brady Altimar each finished Thursday’s game with four fouls. There were 55 free throws in the game, 28 by Trinity, 27 by Berks Catholic.