Muhls, Eagles could be dreaded 1st-round opponents when District 3 play opens
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As it stands now, two weeks from the start of the District 3 basketball tournament, Muhlenberg and Exeter are looking like dangerous teams in the Class 5A field.
Neither is in line for a first-round bye, or even a home opener. They’re well down the list on the power rankings, the Muhls at No. 10, the Eagles at No. 11.
They’re better than that, as their respective resumes indicate.
Muhlenberg owns wins over Reading High and Exeter and dropped a couple of close games, to Central Dauphin – No. 4 in the Class 6A ratings – and to Wilson by one in overtime.
Exeter, after a rough start during an early transition phase, has bounced back to win 7-of-10. The losses in that stretch came at Berks Catholic and Muhlenberg and to Wilson last week by a point.
The Eagles are playing their best ball of the season right now and they’re a playoff-tested squad after last year’s run to the PIAA championship game.
The Muhls and Eagles are the kind of teams opposing coaches dread come playoff time: They play fast and hard and will be well-motivated.
They are among nine Berks teams currently in position to qualify for the tournament, which begins Feb. 19 with boys games in Class 1A and 5A and Feb. 20 with games in Class 3A, 4A and 6A. The boys 2A tournament begins Feb. 23.
Unbeaten Berks Catholic remains No. 1 in Class 4A and along with Fleetwood and Wilson are the only Berks teams currently in position to earn home openers, though that could change in the final weeks.
All seedings are based on power ratings. All regular season games played through Feb. 14 count toward the power ratings; league playoff games are not factored in.
Wednesday is the District 3 freeze deadline, meaning games added to the schedule after that will not be counted in the power ratings.
Muhlenberg, at No. 10, would open districts on the home floor of the No. 7 team, which is currently Red Land. Exeter would open at No, 8, currently Gettysburg. All of that can – and likely will – change over the next 10 days or so.
The Class 5A field is tightly bunched from No. 6 through No. 13 and likely will be shuffled several times before seeds are finalized. The top 14 teams qualify; the top two get first-round byes. The top eight open at home.
Berks Catholic, if it holds onto one of the top two spots, can earn a first-round bye in Class 4A. Fleetwood, currently No. 3, could earn a bye if it finishes in the top two. A top-four finish will guarantee a home-opener.
The Saints won their second consecutive district championship last year, beating Fleetwood in the title game. For the Tigers the appearance in the title game was their first since 1990. Their opening-round win over Middletown was also their first in district play since 1990.
Schuylkill Valley is also in position to return to districts. The Panthers are No. 8 in Class 4A. The top 10 teams qualify.
Reading High is in a similar position to Exeter and Muhlenberg. The Red Knights are going through a transition season, with a new head coach and after graduating three all-league players. They got off to a slow start, then played nearly a month without lead guard Nick Chapman. They’re playing their best ball right now and nearly took out Berks Catholic last week.
They’re currently No. 9 in the Class 6A field and trail No. 8 Cedar Crest by nearly 30 power rating points. The Falcons are through the roughest part of the schedule; the Red Knights, meanwhile, still face Wilson and Muhlenberg.
If Reading can’t pass Cedar Crest it will open districts on the road for the first time since 2013, when it was a No. 10 seed and played at Elizabethtown.
Wilson is at No. 6 in 6A and in line to open at home.
Oley Valley is No. 5 in Class 3A and battling No. 4 York Catholic for the opening-round home game. If the Lynx can win out they could have a chance to move past the Fighting Irish, who still have a game at Littlestown (14-5). The top six teams make the field; the first two get byes.
Antietam is No. 4 in 2A and in solid position to make the four-team field.
Conrad Weiser and Wyomissing, Nos. 15 and 16 in Class 4A, still have time to make up ground but have little margin for error going forward if they’re to move into one of the top 10 spots.
The Scouts can score a lot of points and move up with wins over Berks Catholic (17-0), Garden Spot (9-8), Bishop McDevitt (8-8) and Cedar Crest (13-4).
The Spartans, who have won four of their last five, can make up ground by knocking off the likes of Ephrata (11-5), Lampeter-Strasburg (11-6), Fleetwood (15-2) or Trinity (13-3).
All games through the semifinals will be played on the home floor of the higher-seeded team. All championship games will be played at Giant Center, on Feb. 28, 29 or March 1.
