Red Knights, Spartans on verge of clinching Berks playoff spots
Reading High can clinch its 30th Berks Conference division title with a win at Berks Catholic tonight, but much of the league’s playoff picture remains jumbled after wins by Wyomissing, Tulpehocken and Oley Valley late last week.
Muhlenberg (7-2, 14-5) is the only boys basketball team to have officially clinched one of the eight quarterfinal spots in the BCIAA Tournament, which begins Feb. 14. The Muhls nailed down their second straight Berks II title Friday with a win over Daniel Boone; that win eliminated Twin Valley from Berks playoff contention contention.
Wyomissing (5-2, 8-6) can clinch a Berks playoff spot tonight with a win at Fleetwood (6-2, 12-4), though the division title will remain undecided.
The Red Knights (8-0, 16-2) can close out their second straight Division I title by beating the Saints (7-2, 15-2). It would give them a second win over Berks Catholic, which would serve as the first tiebreaker should the two tie for first place.
Berks I contenders Wilson (5-3, 10-5) and Exeter (5-4, 10-7) are in strong position to claim playoff spots. If they don’t finish in second place they’ll be in line for the two wild card spots, which go to teams with the two highest power ratings. The Bulldogs (.707) and Eagles (.687) are third and fourth right now behind Reading High (.800) and Berks Catholic (.799), according to the latest numbers posted on the District 3 website.
The eight BCIAA qualifiers will be seeded, one through eight, based on power ratings; there is also a coach’s challenge process that could alter the seeding order.
Muhlenberg (.669) is currently fifth in power ratings among Berks teams.
The picture in Berks III and Berks IV is much more clouded. Five teams are closely bunched and fighting for what appears to be three spots.
The two division champs will qualify, as will one of the second-place finishers; that will be determined by regular season head-to-head results.
The Berks III race between Fleetwood and Wyomissing tightened considerably Saturday when the Tigers lost to Tulpehocken and the Spartans beat Oley Valley.
Wyomissing is in strong position to earn a Berks playoff spot; it needs just one more league win to clinch the second-place crossover spot because it owns wins over Antietam, Tulpehocken and Oley Valley, the top three teams in Berks IV.
Berks IV remains a three-way battle between the Mounts (6-2, 14-3), Trojans (6-2, 13-3) and Lynx (5-3, 11-4). It’s likely just one will qualify.
Each of the three teams faces the other two top contenders over the next eight days. Antietam is at Tulpehocken on what’s looking like the final day of the day of league play. Last season the Berks IV title came down to the final night of the season; Oley Valley won at Antietam in overtime to claim the title.
If there’s a tie for first place, head-to-head result is the first tiebreaker. If the teams split, it comes down to power rating. Antietam (.666) currently has the advantage there over both Tulpehocken (.636) and Oley Valley (.602).
Twin Valley can’t qualify for the Berks playoffs because it has already lost head-to-head meetings against each of the potential Berks I runners-up Berks Catholic, Exeter, Reading High and Wilson.