Saints buried by Comets’ 3-point blizzard, see unbeaten run halted
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Is it possible that a snowstorm that dumped eight inches of snow on Northeastern Pennsylvania cost Berks Catholic a perfect regular season?
Three weeks ago, when the Saints were originally scheduled to play Abington Heights, Kingston McKoy was running free on the court, dominating on both ends.
The 6-2 sophomore, considered the best player in Berks, broke his leg last week and was lost for the season. He was a spectator Tuesday when the Comets finally made it to Reading; his absence cost the Saints dearly.
Without their floor leader they were no match for unbeaten Abington Heights, falling behind by 16 points in the first three minutes, giving up 50 first-half points and losing for the first time, 74-47.
Not many Pennsylvania high school players have ever been dominant enough to make a 30-point swing in a game: Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Owens, Tom McMillan, maybe Kobe Bryant. McKoy certainly isn’t in that rich company.
Still, with him on the floor the Saints (18-1), at the very least, would’ve been competitive against the Comets (18-0). He would’ve been able to handle the ball against the zone trap that wrecked his team and turned this rare late-season match-up of unbeatens into such a beatdown.
“It would’ve been a huge difference,” Saints coach Snip Esterly said after watching helplessly as his team turned the ball over seven times in the first six minutes, six directly related to the press.
“Kingston wouldn’t have been turning the ball over,” he said.
The Comets used their incredible shooting and their defense to immediately set the tone.
They led 8-0 in less than a minute, forcing Esterly to call a timeout. Two more turnovers led to a 16-2 deficit and a second Esterly timeout, less than 2 ½ minutes into the game.
The Comets buried the Saints with an avalanche of 3-pointers, hitting five in the first five minutes.
They made each of their first five shots. They scored baskets on each of their first seven possessions for an 18-2 lead.
The Saints never knew what hit them.
The Comets shot 70 percent (21-of-30) during a 50-point first half that saw them make 8-of-14 from beyond the arc.
“And it’s not like they were easy shots,” Esterly said. “They were sticking 3’s. They’re better than anyone we’ve played this year. They’re a good group.”
Berks Catholic had a brief rally, scoring the final six points of the first quarter, Parker Nein’s tip-in at the buzzer cutting the deficit to 25-14.
That was the Saints’ last gasp. Ryan Nealon, who hit 6-of-9 3’s and finished with a game-high 24 points, opened the second quarter with a deep 3-pointer than ignited an 18-2 run. Berks Catholic trailed by 25 points with nearly three minutes left in the first half.
“They exposed us,” said Esterly, “and we have to learn from it – it’s that simple.”
Berks Catholic had won four games since Kingston McKoy was lost Jan. 23 against Reading High but none of the victories were convincing. Josh McKoy and Parker Nein were able to keep the Saints afloat with some big scoring outputs; the points were much tougher to come by Tuesday against an Abington Heights team with the kind of length that made its halfcourt zone difficult to penetrate.
It didn’t help that Josh McKoy was needed as one of the primary ballhandlers trying to break the press. It took him out of position under the basket and his team never got comfortable on the offensive end without him in the paint, where he does so much damage.
“We were not balanced,” Esterly said. “We couldn’t get people in the right positions. (Having Josh handle the ball so much) screwed us up.”
Abington Heights, now the only unbeaten team in the state, has been good all season. It’s had a few tight games but overall has been averaging nearly 70 points per game and winning by an average of 27.
Ken Bianchi’s team figured to be good: It returned four starters from a team that went 23-5, won a District 2 Class 5A championship and reached the state quarterfinals before running into eventual champ Imhotep Charter.
The Comets were particularly good Tuesday, getting open shots with great ball movement and knocking them down. They were good on 12-of-23 shots from beyond the arc and saw four guys reach double figures.
“They’re not selfish,” Bianchi said. “They’ll share the ball. That’s the big part of it.”
It was a humbling night for the Saints, who had set a program record by winning their first 18 games (the previous best was 14). They were the last remaining unbeaten in District 3.
“I knew we weren’t gonna go perfect,” said Josh McKoy, who was held to a season-low seven points one night after reaching 1,000 for his career. “You’ve gotta keep your head up. There’s definitely more games to play.”
“That hurts,” said Saints senior guard Armanni Dominguez, who scored a career-high 15 points. “It definitely hits your ego. But it was bound to happen. We knew one loss was gonna come sooner or later. Now we’ve just gotta take it as a learning lesson.
“We were getting by these weaker opponents without Kingston, but it’s a wake-up call. We’ve just gotta live and learn.”
How much of a difference Kingston McKoy would’ve made Tuesday no one knows for sure, but his teammates know the contest would’ve been different with him in it.
“With Kingston, I don’t see anybody beating us,” Dominguez said. “You saw in the county we beat everybody with him. He’s that voice on the court; he tells us where to be. He brings that intensity. But, we don’t have him so we’ve gotta work without him.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Abington Heights | 25 | 25 | 7 | 17 | 74 |
| Berks Catholic | 14 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 47 |
| Comets (18-0) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Fedor | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Marion | 8-11 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| Nealon | 9-12 | 0-0 | 6-9 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Shaffer | 4-8 | 0-0 | 3-7 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| Lucas | 8-13 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 4 | 2 | 17 |
| Anderson | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kettel | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abel | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patel | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curtin | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Plantz | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 31-51 | 0-0 | 12-23 | 10 | 22/24 | 74 |
| Saints (18-1) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Dominguez | 6-8 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Nein | 5-13 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 2 | 9 | 10 |
| J. McKoy | 3-8 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Altimar | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Komoro | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suski | 3-6 | 3-3 | 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Diaz | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Garcia | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fidler | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kozik | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 19-41 | 4-5 | 5-17 | 9 | 19/20 | 47 |
Turnovers: Abington Heights 4, Berks Catholic 12. Team rebounds: Abington Heights 0, Berks Catholic 1.