Shayla Smith scoring spree knocks Berks Catholic out of state tournament

By  Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

BENSALEM — Shayla Smith scored 15 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter as Audenreid rallied to end Berks Catholic’s season with a 59-54 victory in a PIAA Class 4A girls basketball tournament opener Saturday at Bensalem High School.

The District 3 third-place Saints (20-8) led by 10 points entering the final quarter and proceeded to shoot 2-for-10 from the foul line.

Audenreid, the District 12 runner-up, advances to the second round against District 3 fifth-place Trinity, which defeated District 4 champion Central Columbia 46-45 in overtime.

Caraline Herb went out in style scoring a season-high 27 points — the second highest total in her career — but Berks Catholic was outscored by 15 in the final quarter. 

Herb, a Chestnut Hill College commit, ends her high school career with 1,140 points.

She’s tied with Muhlenberg’s Sarra Hager, a 2000 graduate, for 89th in Berks history and third in Berks Catholic history, behind Devon Merritt (1,730) and Dejah Terrell (1,290).

Berks Catholic led 32-23 at the half after limiting Smith, a Division 1 recruit and the fastest Philadelphia Public League girl to 1,000 points in the history of the league, to two points.

Herb had 14 of her 27 points, Madison Langdon seven of her 13, and Molly McFadden all seven of her points in the first half.

Audenreid’s plan after halftime was to get the ball down low to Smith, who usually plays guard but is 5-10. 

Smith scored four in the third quarter as the Rockets (20-7) kept pace and trailed 44-34 headed to the final quarter. The sophomore scored 15 of the Rockets’ 25 points in the fourth, including 7-for-9 shooting from the foul line. 

Berks Catholic went 8-for-26 from the free throw line.