Berks boys playoff preview: No. 4 Fleetwood vs. No. 5 Wilson
No. 4 Fleetwood (20-2) vs No. 5 Wilson (16-6)
When, where: Monday, 7, at Fleetwood
Head to head: Did not meet this season. Wilson won 73-53 in a regular season meeting last year.
The Tigers: Saw seven-game winning streak snapped with 35-34 loss at Wyomissing in regular season finale. That likely led to the seeding committee’s decision to drop them one spot after they finished with the third-highest power rating.
Despite that they’ll have the chance to play a home playoff game for the first time. They are in the Berks playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1981-82. Their 20-2 regular season finish is believed to be the best in program history.
Their 20 wins are the most since 1984 and their 36 wins over the past two seasons are the most in back-to-back years since Charlie Young’s teams went 21-10 and 24-6 in the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons.
They’ve done that with a razor-thin rotation that generally includes just six players. Of course, the top of that rotation is loaded, with All-Berks senior Jake Karnish and junior guard Aiden Soumas.
The 6-2 Karnish leads the league in scoring at 22.3 per game and leads the team in rebounds (6.6 per game), assists (4.3) and steals (2.4). He’s among the best free-throw shooters in the league, hitting 81.7 percent, and has 25 3-pointers, second on the team. He will play at King’s College next season.
Soumas has gotten stronger and stepped up his game since last season. He’s averaging 13.9 points, nearly four more than last season, averages 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals; he’s shooting 72 percent from the line.
Junior guard Nate Herb came on strong late in the season, scoring a season-high 22 points against Schuylkill Valley and hitting double figures in seven of the final nine games. He averages 9.3 points and is second on the team in assists.
Senior Braden Williams leads the team with 30 3-pointers.
Did you know? Fleetwood hasn’t won a postseason game since 1990, when Jeff Wolfe was head coach and the Tigers won a District 3 title.
The Bulldogs: They’ve won 16 games against a demanding schedule despite playing half the season without their top returning player, all-division guard Cam Jones. He didn’t return from a football injury until Jan. 7 and hasn’t returned to the starting lineup; head coach Matt Coldren is monitoring his minutes, though he went most of the way in a tight battle against Reading High last week.
Senior wing Aidan Melograna has emerged as the most-improved player in the league and leads the team in scoring at 11.5 per game and with 52 3 pointers – nearly half the team’s total.
They have plenty of experience, with four seniors in the starting lineup, including Ofure Odiale, one of the league’s top post players; guard Cleveland Harding, who’s second on the team in scoring at 9.3; and Seamus Breslin, a strong defender with length.
Madyx Gruber is one of the league’s top sophomores and will be one of the league’s best players next season; he’s averaging 8.0 points.
They have balance, depth and a bunch of guys who buy into defense. They could be closing in on 20 wins with a few breaks. They lost once in OT, once at the buzzer to 21-2 Spring-Ford, and by five points to both Reading High and Berks Catholic.
Fast fact: Only Reading High has more Berks playoff wins than Wilson (40) since 1983, when the BCIAA expanded its playoff field to include more than just division winners.
Monday’s quarterfinal schedule
| 1 | Reading High | vs. | 8 | Schuylkill Valley | 7:00 |
| 4 | Fleetwood | vs. | 5 | Wilson | 7:00 |
| 2 | Exeter | vs. | 7 | Oley Valley | 7:00 |
| 3 | Berks Catholic | vs. | 6 | Muhlenberg | 7:00 |
