Caroline Reedy, Saints, measure up in win over Bulldogs
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
It doesn’t make sense on paper. Caroline Reedy shouldn’t get 15 rebounds against an opponent like Wilson.
Berks Catholic’s 5-8 senior was giving up three inches to Keira Levengood and six inches to Isis Dojan. If ever there was an apparent mismatch on the glass, this was it.
Rebounding isn’t just about height, of course. It’s about a whole bunch of other things. Strength. Positioning. Anticipation. Desire. Reedy doesn’t give up an inch in any of those areas.
Berks Catholic knocked off Wilson 35-32 in Berks I girls basketball at Wolf Gymnasium Monday night. In the process, the Saints showed that being undersized doesn’t matter. Just like last year.
Reedy finished with nine points and four blocks to go with all those rebounds.
“We preach to them that we don’t want to give up second opportunities because that’s what kills you,” Berks Catholic coach Bob Birmingham said. “Especially against big kids like that. She takes it to heart. She boxes out real well. She’s strong. She gets in great position.”
It’s not an accident that Reedy is so accomplished on the boards. That skill is no different than scoring. It requires effort and a specific focus.
Reedy can trace her interest in rebounding to a piece of sports literature that was handed to her when she was a freshman.
“My dad gave me this book on Larry Bird,” she said. “I was flipping through it one time. I saw a picture of him. The way he grabbed the ball. I thought it was cool. I was like, ‘I should start doing that.’ I just worked on it. That got it started.”
Reedy, a four-year varsity player, is having her best season. It’s hard to tell from the box scores. She’s averaging 12.3 points, not far off the 11.1 she scored when she was named All-Berks as a junior.
That’s only part of her contribution. The way she defends, rebounds and secures loose balls is at an all-time high. It changes games. It flips possessions.
Reedy and Aaliyah Dabney dominated the third quarter without putting up a point. They each grabbed five rebounds and helped hold Wilson without a field goal. Dabney, a rebounding force in her own right, had 13.
This wasn’t one of Berks Catholic’s top performances. The Saints shot 23% from the floor, made just nine baskets and committed 20 turnovers. They still beat one of the top teams in the league. Their commitment to the dirty work helps them survive their off nights.
“Coach always emphasizes that hustle is really important,” Reedy said. “If there’s a ball on the ground, we need to dive for it.”
Wilson (3-2, 7-3) had a chance. The Bulldogs were ahead by three early in the third quarter. They didn’t shoot well enough to finish it off. They were 0-for-18 from the floor in the second half until Amiyah Nguyen scored on a steal and layup with 1:20 left. They went 14:40 without a hoop.
Berks Catholic was ahead by six in the final minute. A last-second shot by Nguyen from the other side of halfcourt created the final margin.
Nguyen finished with 11 points. Dojan, a 6-2 junior, had 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was the center’s seventh consecutive game scoring in double figures.
The schedule has been uneven for the Saints recently because of COVID postponements. This was their fourth game in six days after a two-week layoff. They have a stretch of four games in eight days upcoming. It makes sense they were a little sloppy.
“You’ve got to give Wilson credit,” Birmingham said. “They made us play that way. They’re taking two minutes off the clock on some possessions. That’s not the way we want to play. We played that way tonight. Not pretty but we played like that and we won. We know we can do that if we have to.”
Caraline Herb scored 10 points to lead Berks Catholic (4-0, 9-2), which shot 15-for-21 from the line.
The Saints have posted victories over Mifflin and Wilson, the biggest threats to their hopes of repeating as Berks champs. One came on the road. The other at home.
“We’re really excited to try and win counties again,” Reedy said. “We know we can do it. It’s a good feeling to know that it’s in our reach.”
There are a lot of reasons why Berks Catholic is the favorite to cut down the nets again. One of them is a 5-8 forward who turned herself into perhaps the best rebounder in the league.
To purchase these and other photos from the Wilson/Berks Catholic game, click here.
