Boy, that didn’t last long, did it?
Berks basketball fans have been spoiled the last few seasons with some extended postseason runs.
Last year Reading High went unbeaten in the state tournament, winning three straight games and its second PIAA title in five years.
Had it not been for the champions-only state tournament 2021 format brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic Stevie Mitchell and Wilson would’ve likely made a long state run, too. They might have even met up with the Red Knights for a fifth time in the PIAA championship game.
A season earlier, 2020, was also a great one for Berks basketball, too. Wilson, Reading High and Muhlenberg each went unbeaten in the PIAA Tournament — until it was shut down by COVID in mid-March.
The Red Knights and Muhls each won their first two games and reached the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs won their state opener but never got a chance to play in the second round: Several schools, spooked by the quickly spreading pandemic, refused to host their game against Lower Merion, where there had been a COVID outbreak.
This season’s state tournament?
It seems like it was over before it started, didn’t it?
Five Berks teams qualified. None survived the first week. Only Reading High won a game. Exeter (5A), Berks Catholic (4A), Tulpehocken (3A) and Antietam (2A) each lost in the opening round.
Things looked promising a week ago after Reading High and Berks Catholic won District 3 championships and Antietam made it to the district title game.
That promise never materialized. Berks Catholic found itself trailing by 27 points against Archbishop Carroll before an incredible rally saw the Saints close the gap to six, only to lose 68-61.
Reading High nearly pulled off an incredible comeback of its own Sunday against Archbishop Wood, rebounding from a 40-15 deficit to twice pull within two points before losing 64-58.
All told the combined 1-4 record for Berks boys teams ranks as one of the least fruitful state tournament performances in the last 20 years. The only worse combined performance came in 2019 when six teams qualified and just one — Muhlenberg — won a game. The Muhls went out in the second round. Wilson, Reading High, Berks Catholic, Kutztown and Antietam each went out in the opening round.
The best combined state performance of this millennium?
You’d have to go back to 2007, when Tulpehocken won its state opener, Wilson won twice to reach the state quarterfinals and Central Catholic — led by Matt Ashcroft, Colin Naugle and Nick Rossignoli — won five straight games and beat DuBois Central Catholic to win the PIAA Class A championship.
For the rest of the state the PIAA Tournament continues Tuesday and Wednesday with quarterfinals and Friday and Saturday with semifinals.
The championships are spread across three days next week, starting on Thursday.