Berks Catholic positioned for run at 2nd straight District 3 championship
Berks Catholic found little resistance on the way to its fourth District 3 championship last season, winning each of its three tournament games by double digits, including a 23-point win over Middletown in the Class 4A title game at Giant Center.
The Saints (20-4) are again the top seed, again will enjoy homecourt advantage in their first two games, and again are considered a heavy favorite to win it.
And why not?
They’re deeper and more experienced than the team that won last season, what with three starters back, including Josiah Jordan, the program’s all-time scoring leader, and Ryan Koch, the program’s all-time 3-point leader.
The addition of the McKoy brothers, Josh and Kingston, from Antietam provided the depth and length they lacked.
The Saints begin pursuit of back-to-back championships Thursday when they play eighth-seeded Kennard-Dale (13-10) at Wolf Gymnasium at 7.
Berks Catholic is one of six Berks boys teams on the District 3 schedule Thursday, along with Exeter and Muhlenberg in Class 5A, Fleetwood in 4A, Oley Valley in 3A, and High Point in 1A. Reading High opens play in Class 6A Friday.
The Saints haven’t lost to a Class 4A team this season: Their losses have come to Reading High, Muhlenberg and Exeter (twice).
They are 6-0 against Class 4A teams, with an average margin of victory of nearly 15 points in those games. Berks II rival Conrad Weiser was the only 4A team to give them a game, the Saints pulling out a 63-57 win in Robesonia. Berks Catholic beat Octorara, the No. 4 seed, 71-59 in December.
Jordan, a senior and all-division pick, averages a team-leading 13.8 points. He enters the tournament with 1,146 career points.
Koch, who averages 13.6 points, has a team-leading 50 3-pointers, fifth in the league. His 155 career 3’s rank among the Top 20 all-time in Berks history.
Josh McKoy, a 6-4 junior, averages 9.4 points, second on the team. Kingston McKoy, a freshman, averages 6.7 points and has been getting starter’s minutes most of the second half of the season. He adds length and an on-ball defensive presence to the lineup.
Kennard-Dale advanced with a 57-50 win over ninth-seeded Elco in the opening round; Berks Catholic had a first-round bye.
In other games Thursday:
- Third-seeded Exeter (20-6) hosts Milton Hershey (18-6) in a Class 5A quarterfinal. The Eagles clinched a second straight trip to the PIAA Tournament with a 72-47 win Monday over Shippensburg. They played without No. 2 scorer Reece Garvin and likely won’t have him against the Spartans, a team they beat 62-49 in last year’s district opener. Milton Hershey advanced with a 75-48 win over No. 11 Red Land.
- Ninth-seeded Muhlenberg (15-9) plays at top-seeded Manheim Central (20-5) ) in a Class 5A quarterfinal. The Muhls advanced with a 46-39 win at West York. The Barons, who earned a first-round bye, reached the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship game before falling to Hempfield 57-46. Manheim won the L-L Section 2 title.
- Second-seeded Fleetwood (20-3) hosts No. 10 Middletown in a Class 4A quarterfinal. The Blue Raiders (13-10) knocked out Schuylkill Valley 47-45 in the opening round; the Tigers had a first-round bye. A win sends the Tigers to the PIAA Tournament for the first time since 1990.
- Third-seeded Oley Valley (19-5) can record its first 20-win season in 18 years and reach a district championship game for the first time with a win at second-seeded Trinity (20-4) in a Class 3A semifinal. They Lynx have won 12 of their last 13 games after beating Brandywine Heights 67-53 in a district opener. The Shamrocks went unbeaten in Mid-Penn Capital Division play before losing to State College 66-40 in the league finals.
- Seventh-seeded High Point (15-7) plays at second-seeded Greenwood (21-1) in a Class 1A quarterfinal. The Eagles will clinch a PIAA Tournament berth with a win. The Wildcats have won 13 straight after beating St. Joseph’s Academy for the Tri-Valley championship.
