Motivated Middletown team stands in the way of Berks Catholic and title
Berks Catholic may be the No. 1 seed in the District 3 Class 4A boys basketball tournament but Middletown is the defending champ and full of motivation and confidence.
Coach Chris Bradford has reminded his guys that Middletown has never won back-to-back district championships and that’s become a motivating factor for Thursday’s championship game at Giant Center at 4:15.
“They’re hungry to be able to defend,” Bradford said. “We talk about history a lot. Last year we were able to do some things we hadn’t done in a while.”
The Blue Raiders beat Danville in the state quarterfinals and reached the semifinals before falling to Allentown Central Catholic 46-43. Some key pieces return from that team, including 6-4 Tajae Broadie, an Old Dominion football recruit, and point guard Tate Leach, who will play football at Bridgewater next season.
They’re keys to a physical, defensive-minded team that allowed only one opponent all season to reach 60 points. They held five teams below 40 and two below 25.
“We still emphasize defense first, always,” said Bradford. “That’s what works best for us. We have more people to shoot (this season, but) we’ve gotta let defense and the glass dictate what we’re going to do offensively. We play a better version (of that style) this year.
“We lost size and strength (from last year), and replaced it with speed. We get there faster this year.”
The Blue Raiders (20-3) will have to be at their best defensively against a Berks Catholic (22-4) team that averages 59 points a game and has an array of offensive weapons, including All-Berks point guard Josiah Jordan and 3-point snipers Ryan Koch, Aidan Sands and Jack Miller.
Bradford is particularly impressed with Jordan but feels he has a guard in Leach — a hard-nosed defensive back and the Blue Raiders’ quarterback — who can play him.
“You look at Jay-Jay on film, he’s a strong kid,” Bradford said. “He’s crafty around the bucket. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that’s a good match-up, Jay-Jay and (Tate). It’s gonna be fun to watch. They play a very similar (hectic) style; they play fast. They dictate the way the rest of the guys around them play.”
The third-seeded Blue Raiders opened the season with 12 straight wins before losing to Mid-Penn Capital rivals Trinity and Bishop McDevitt within a five-day span in late January. Their only other loss came to Class 5A qualifier Susquehannock in the final week of the season.
“That was a reminder that we needed to get back to what we do best,” Bradford said of the losses to Middletown’s league rivals. “Since then, we’ve been playing pretty good ball.”
The Blue Raiders beat McDevitt and Trinity in the first two rounds of districts, each by 13 points. Broadie had 17 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots in the semifinal win over Trinity. Tyson Leach, a sophomore and the first guard off the bench last season, had 15 points and four steals.
Bradford expected to see Berks Catholic at this point. He has closely monitored its progress all season and has been collecting scouting reports for months. He knows full well what his team is in store for.
“We have a really good team in front of us, with a legendary coach (in Snip Esterly), and a proud tradition that goes back a long ways,” he said. “Jay-Jay stands out, but he’s certainly not the only guy on their team that does.
“When a team puts up 174 3’s, that stands out. Not every high school team is capable of doing that. And it’s not like they don’t play against competition that isn’t top notch. We know we’ve gotta be on our A-game, and I’ve gotta be on my A-game, to put ourselves in position to win.”