Gavin Welker-Berks Catholic

Every basketball player wants their coach to give them the green light to shoot. In Gavin Welker’s case, he didn’t have a choice. “Snip was yelling at me. He wanted me to shoot the ball earlier in the game and he took me out for it. When I went back in, I knew I had to shoot and they were falling,” said Welker. With Berks Catholic trailing Reading 22-9 in the second quarter, Welker made four 3-pointers in a row. The 6’2 junior banked in his last triple high off the glass. “I’ll take it. It went in,” he replied with a smile. The Saints held off the Red Knights 62-59 on Monday night at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Welker connected five times from beyond the arc and finished with a season-high 19 points. This is his first year playing for longtime coach Snip Esterly after transferring from Daniel Boone. “He’s hard on me, but I like it. He pushes me every day. He’s giving me more confidence on the court, making me better,” explained Welker. Esterly has piled up 829 victories, 8 BCIAA championships, and 14 District 3 titles over 36 seasons. He also led Central Catholic to a state championship in 2007. Berks Catholic fell behind Reading 16-6 in the first quarter. The Red Knights didn’t allow a point for four minutes and fifteen seconds. Welker scored all twelve of the Saints’ points in the second period. They were down 26-21 at halftime and All-State guard Kingston McKoy was scoreless. McKoy came alive in the third quarter with a dozen of his sixteen points. The 6’2 junior had two of Berks Catholic’s ten treys. Zach Suski banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key before the buzzer. “Clutch, it was awesome,” said Welker. Suski, who had 14 points, was fouled on the shot. He missed the free throw, but still gave the Saints a 44-35 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. A three-point play by Jackson Kozik made it 51-41 with 4:48 left. Kozik, a 6’ junior forward, made a pair of foul shots with 1:34 remaining to give Berks Catholic a 57-50 cushion. “He’s getting better and better. He’s contributing more every game. It’s huge for him to step up like that,” noted Welker. Kozik, who averages 3 ppg., provided ten points including a layup with 34 seconds to go. That bucket came after sophomore Jostin DeCastro’s layup pulled Reading within 57-54. Welker split a pair of free throws with 24 seconds to play for a 60-54 lead. On the ensuing possession, Weshly Rosario missed a triple from the top of the key. Kahlil Samuel splashed a 3-pointer as time expired, but the Red Knights’ four-game winning streak came to an end. Samuel had a team-high 17 points. DeCastro added twelve points and Rosario chipped in with eleven. Reading was 8-of-9 from the foul line, but made just two 3-pointers before the buzzer-beater by Samuel. The (14-3, 8-2) Saints extended their winning streak to six. They went 10-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Red Knights fell to (8-11, 4-5) and are in danger of missing the Berks County playoffs for the first time since 1997. They have three games remaining. Reading travels to Division 2 champion Exeter on Wednesday before hosting Wilson and Gov. Mifflin. Berks Catholic has a-half game edge over the Bulldogs atop a rugged Division 1. “Every game is competitive. We don’t really have a break. We gotta come out every game with intensity,” emphasized Welker.