Exeter, Mifflin, Tulpy battling for final spot in Berks boys tournament

By Mike Drago Last updated Feb 8, 2022

Three of the four division titles are wrapped up, as are seven of the eight spots for the upcoming Berks Conference playoffs, but there’s still plenty at stake Tuesday on the final full night of boys basketball in Berks.

It’s unlikely Tulpehocken will win the Berks IV title, even with a win over Antietam Tuesday, but the Trojans are still be alive for the second wild card spot, which will be determined by power ratings. A win by the Trojans (.635), coupled with a loss by Exeter (.647) to Gov. Mifflin (.624), might be enough to lift Tulpehocken into the Berks field.

The Eagles (10-10) have lost three straight and 6-of-7, and played the past two games without No. 2 scorer Joey Schlaffer, who was out with a wrist injury. The Mustangs (10-11) could, with a win over Exeter and a Tulpehocken loss, move past both those teams and grab the second wild card spot, according to unofficial power ratings posted on the District 3 website early Tuesday.

A win by Exeter over Mifflin will secure a Berks spot for the Eagles, who have missed the BCIAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Exeter won the first meeting 63-56 Jan. 11 in Reiffton. The Mustangs have won three of their last four games.

A maximum of four teams from one division can qualify for the Berks playoffs, so Exeter and Mifflin can’t both make it, though they’ll have higher power ratings than some teams which do qualify.

Only games played through Wednesday will count toward power ratings to qualify for the Berks tournament. After that the top eight qualifiers will be seeded one through eight. The eight playoff coaches will have an opportunity to appeal for a higher seed.

The quarterfinals are Monday, at the site of the higher-seeded team.

Wilson and Cleveland Harding have been coming on strong down the stretch. (Susan L. Angstadt photo)

Reading High (18-2), Muhlenberg (16-5) and Fleetwood (15-5) have clinched division titles. Berks IV leader Antietam (18-3) will finish in a tie for first with Tulpehocken with a loss to the Trojans; the tiebreaker is power ratings and the Mounts (.684) have a huge lead over the Trojans (.635) with one game left to play for each team. Antietam won the first meeting 50-48 at Stony Creek.

Muhlenberg, which closes its regular season against Reading High Tuesday, is battling Antietam for the No. 4 seed and quarterfinal home game in the BCIAA Tournament. Antietam enters play Tuesday with a slight lead over the Muhls in power ratings.

A team’s power rating is also affected by the wins and losses of all opponents played, so it’s possible other games could affect these tightly contested spots.

Reading High (.807) is in line for the No. 1 seed but hasn’t clinched that spot yet. The Red Knights close against Muhlenberg and Wilson. A loss in either could open the door for Berks Catholic (.787). If the Saints close with a win over Wilson Tuesday they could close that 20-point gap considerably.

Wilson won the first meeting against the Saints 51-48 and has won five straight. The Saints’ only losses this season have come against Reading (twice) and Wilson.

The Bulldogs (.742), with wins at both Berks Catholic Tuesday and at Reading High Wednesday, could possibly move past the Saints and into the No. 2 seed, though it will be difficult to make up that many power rating points.

The semifinals will be played Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Santander Arena. The championship game will be played Friday at Santander as the back end of a girls-boys doubleheader.