Iron-clad Lancaster Catholic too tough for Berks Catholic to crack
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
LANCASTER — Berks Catholic has played some top-notch programs this season: The Saints’ five losses have come to Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Delone Catholic, Methacton, St. Joseph by the Sea (Staten Island, NY) and now to undefeated Lancaster Catholic.
Head coach Bob Birmingham typically puts together a challenging schedule so the Saints are prepared once the playoffs beings. Iron sharpens iron.
Rylee Kraft scored 25 points, Lily Lehman had 17, and the Crusaders topped the Saints 59-45 in a non-league match-up Saturday afternoon in Lancaster.
The Saints (11-5) can take away some good from the game just as in the previous four losses, especially against a tradition-rich Crusaders team that is ranked atop the District 3 Class 3A rankings.
“We were telling (them) that (Lancaster Catholic) is one of the best teams in the state in 3A, absolutely, and maybe some of the other classes, too,” Birmingham said. “They can get out (and run); they can guard.
“I know some people don’t like telling their kids that. We want to tell our kids that because we know if our kids bring their ‘A’ game and play the way they are capable of, we can play with these teams. I thought we did a really nice job. We could’ve folded.”
Lancaster Catholic (15-0) controlled the first quarter and got out to a 21-8 lead as its full-court pressure gave the Saints trouble. Kraft, who has scored 16 or more in six straight games, had 10 points in the quarter.
Berks Catholic went on a 10-4 run to draw within seven but the Crusaders closed out the first half strong and went into the break with a 34-23 lead.
Caraline Herb scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first half for Berks Catholic.
Kraft (six) and Lehman (seven) combined for all of Lancaster Catholic’s 13 points and Madison Langdon scored five of the Saints’ six points in the third.
The Saints got within 12 in the fourth but couldn’t recover from the early deficit.
“I was really happy with our effort,” Birmingham said. “I thought what really killed us was that first quarter. We got down too much and had to back out of a hole the entire time. We just couldn’t get there.”
One bright spot: Lancaster Catholic’s Mary Bolesky was held to nine points, nearly 7.0 points below her average. Bolesky was guarded by Langdon for most of the game and while the two players’ games are different, their career trajectories could have some similarities.
Bolesky started as a sophomore and averaged 10.6 points per game last season on a team that won the Lancaster-Lebanon League and finished third in District 3 Class 4A. She stepped into the role as de facto point guard once Jeriyah Johnson graduated.
Langdon is starting as a sophomore and averaging 12.2 points. She’ll likely take on an even bigger role next season with the graduation of Herb, who will play at Chestnut Hill.
“Playing against Bolesky is great for (Langdon) because she is a top-notch point guard,” Birmingham said. “I thought Madison did a nice job staying in front of her. I thought she showed a handle. On a lot of (Bolesky’s) shots she contested them. I think you’re going to see Madison really mature over the next year, just like Bolesky did from last year to this year.”
Berks Catholic will use the lessons learned in these games once Berks, district, and possibly state playoff games are added to the schedule.
Iron sharpens iron.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Lancaster Catholic | 21 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 59 |
| Berks Catholic | 8 | 15 | 6 | 16 | 45 |
| Saints (11-5) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Herb | 5-12 | 3-4 | 3-7 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
| Corado | 2-8 | 2-3 | 1-6 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Mad. Langdon | 3-6 | 4-4 | 1-1 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| McFadden | 3-10 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| Roberts | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Brown | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mac. Langdon | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 14-40 | 10-12 | 7-21 | 7 | 25-27 | 45 |
| Crusaders (15-0) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Kraft | 8-13 | 9-14 | 0-2 | 3 | 8 | 25 |
| Lehman | 6-9 | 3-5 | 2-3 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| Bolesky | 2-10 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 3 | 9 | 9 |
| Anderson | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lipson | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2-6 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Gaylord | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wolownik | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 19-43 | 15-24 | 6-15 | 12 | 25-26 | 59 |
Turnovers: Berks Catholic 15, Lancaster Catholic 5.