Berks Catholic heads to district final, will face Middletown (updated)

(This story will be updated later tonight with game details and postgame reaction.)

Josiah Jordan scored a game-high 21 points and Berks Catholic turned back a late Littlestown rally for a 58-46 win Monday in a District 3 Class 4A semifinal at Wolf Gymnasium.

The top-seeded Saints (22-4) will play for the championship Thursday at 4:15 at Giant Center against No. 3 Middletown, a 63-49 winner Monday over Trinity

The Saints led by 15 points in the third quarter before the fourth-seeded Thunderbolts (19-6) mounted a rally. They closed within 40-36 two minutes into the fourth quarter and were still within six points with 1:03 remaining.

Ryan Koch scored 15 points and Aidan Sands 10 for Berks Catholic.

The Saints eased out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter, as Jordan, Sands and others were able to repeatedly get to the basket, beating their defender off the dribble.

Jordan had 13 points by half, most coming on blasts to the rim.

Koch went out with his third foul with nearly five minutes left in the first half but the Saints continued to pull away, leading by as many as 13 at one point.

Berks Catholic last reached the championship game in 2018, when it beat Bishop McDevitt 46-26 in the Class 4A final at Giant Center. That was the Saints’ third district title; they also won in 2012 and 2013, their first two seasons. They beat Trinity the first season and Palmyra the second, both in Class AAA.

The Saints didn’t qualify for the district tournament last season, when they finished 6-11, their first losing season. They went out in the opening round of the Class 4A Tournament in 2019, to Wyomissing.

Berks Catholic clinched a spot in the PIAA Tournament with its 55-40 quarterfinal win over Elco. It has qualified for the state tournament eight times in its 11 seasons.

Littlestown advanced with a 75-63 win over No. 5 Eastern York in the quarterfinals.