Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
The third annual City of Basketball Love Winter Showcase was held Friday and Saturday at Exeter. Eight varsity games were played over two days. The event featured top programs from five different PIAA districts. Here’s a recap of Saturday’s action:
Pottstown-63, Cedar Crest-54
The Falcons lost ten seniors to graduation from a team that won the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship a season ago. They led the Trojans 15-13 after the first quarter and 26-25 at halftime. Elias Butler, a 6’2 senior forward, came alive in the third quarter with nine points for Pottstown. It was even at 42-42 with eight minutes remaining. A three-point play by Yahsir Wood gave the Trojans a 49-44 edge early in the fourth quarter. The 6’5 senior center stuffed the boxscore with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Keeyon Jackson drilled a triple from the top of the key with two minutes left to put Pottstown in front 56-52. Butler knocked down a pair of free throws with 47 seconds to go for a 60-52 advantage. He provided a dozen points. Syncere Whitehurst added 13. Sophomore Jemar Pauleus led Cedar Crest with 24 points. The Falcons were 10-18 from the foul line and 4-19 from beyond the arc.
Riverside-57, Penncrest-51
The District 2-3A champions took on a Lions squad that went (24-5) last year and reached the PIAA-5A quarterfinals. Nico Antoniacci lived up to all of the hype. The 6’3 sophomore guard has offers from Marquette, Syracuse, and Penn State. He erupted for 53 points in Riverside’s 97-37 rout of Wyoming Valley West to begin the season. On Saturday afternoon, Antoniacci poured in 40 points while shooting 7-13 from 3-point range. He added nine rebounds and five steals in an electrifying performance. Antoniacci scored 25 points in the first half and showed off his tremendous range. The Vikings led 36-26 at the break. Their advantage grew to 42-28 early in the third quarter. Antoniacci splashed a trey from the top of the key to end the period and put Penncrest in a 49-40 hole. He opened the fourth quarter with another long ball from the left wing. His fast break layup gave Riverside a late 54-47 cushion. Brayden Rose, a 6’4 junior, contributed nine points. The (3-0) Vikings were 12-32 from beyond the arc, while the Lions went just 3-18. Penncrest also struggled at the charity stripe, going 6-14. Mikey Mita and Sean Benson ended up with 18 points apiece. Mita reached 1,000 career points on a tip-in with 2:15 left. The 6’7 senior forward is the sixth player in school history to hit the milestone. Mita, who’s committed to Carnegie Mellon, was a third team All-State selection last season.
Parkland-53, Berks Catholic-39
The District 11-6A champions squared off with the District 3-4A champs in the third contest on Saturday. The Saints scored the first eight points, but trailed 13-11 after the opening quarter. The Trojans used a balanced attack in the second period and outscored Berks Catholic 17-to-9. Six different players scored in that quarter for the Trojans. The Saints were down 39-29 after each team was limited to nine points in the third period. A three-point play by 6’3 senior guard Javian Porter made it 49-36 with 2:15 to go. Blake Nassry, a 6’4 junior, had a game-high 16 points. Porter finished with 14. Parkland went 10-12 from the foul line, while Berks Catholic was 7-11. Colgate commit Kingston McKoy led the (1-1) Saints with 15 points. Sophomore guard Carmelo Harper added 14, including 11 in the first half. Berks Catholic was without Jeremiah Camara and Gavin Welker due to injuries. The Saints hope to get Welker back on Monday when they host Wilson. The Trojans were missing football standout TJ Lawrence who’s injured. Ryan Kearney and Tyler Beck helped their cause with seven points apiece.
Exeter-66, Pottsgrove-39
The Falcons had a mark of (23-5) during the 2024-25 campaign. They came in third place in the District 1-5A tournament. Deymein Doctor was a key piece to the puzzle for Pottsgrove. However, the 6’5 senior guard suffered a serious knee injury during football season and won’t be able to play basketball this year. The Eagles knew they could take advantage of the Falcons’ undersized lineup. Braylon Reinert, a 225-pound TE/LB on the gridiron, piled up 19 points and 7 rebounds on Saturday night. “I challenged Braylon before the game to play confident and aggressive because we were going to make him a focal point of the offense. A lot of credit also goes to the four other guys with him who executed a game plan and made it a priority to get him the ball,” said head coach Jeff VanGorder. Reinert picked up two fouls in the first four minutes, but bounced back with eight points in the third quarter. “I’m very proud of how Braylon played,” added VanGorder. Exeter outscored Pottsgrove 18-to-8 in the second quarter and took a 29-20 lead into the locker room. The Falcons were held to 19 points in the second half. Dylan Donate led everyone with 20 points. The 6’ senior guard jammed eight points into the final eight minutes, including a pair of three-point plays. Jackson Kozik, a transfer from Berks Catholic, pitched in with eight points off the bench. The (2-0) Eagles won easily despite missing two starters. Aidan Dauble, their leading returning scorer, and Michael Fisher didn’t play due to injuries. Each team only connected three times from 3-point range. Jayden Ware’s trey put Exeter on top 42-31 with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Greg Rosenberger had a team-high 15 points and 7 rebounds for Pottsgrove. Bryce Phillips provided a dozen points before fouling out.
Wilson-69, Abington-57
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start and led 19-6 after the opening quarter. Peter Kelfala provided eight of those early points. The senior forward racked up 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks against the Galloping Ghosts. “Peter matured and grew as a player in front of our eyes. He worked extremely hard in the offseason. I can’t wait to see him continue to improve as he gains more game experience,” said head coach Matt Coldren. Abington committed eight turnovers in the first eight minutes. Junior guard Xander Grasty kept them in it with 14 points in the first half. Correll Akings, the lone returning starter for Wilson, drilled a three-pointer early in the second period for a 26-13 cushion. The defending BCIAA champions were in front 33-21 at halftime. The Bulldogs attempted 19 free throws in the first 16 minutes. Meanwhile, the Galloping Ghosts didn’t get to the foul line once in the first half. Abington began the third quarter with a 12-to-2 run. After Coldren used a timeout, sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 38-33. Akings hit another triple with two minutes remaining in the period for a 46-38 edge. The (2-1) Galloping Ghosts were behind 48-42 entering the fourth quarter. They missed five of their first eight free throw attempts in the final period. With just under five minutes to play, Akings buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Mike Glover followed with a layup to extend Wilson’s lead to 58-46. Kelfala’s dunk put the Bulldogs up 62-52. Wilson was 8-9 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter and 22-32 overall. Abington went 9-14 from the foul line and 6-17 from beyond the arc. Grasty piled up 32 points. Senior guards Faizon Garland and Kyler Pickron added nine points apiece. The (1-1) Bulldogs got 20 points from their bench, including seven from junior guard Jayden Lockhart. Akings ended up with 14 points. Wilson was 7-18 from long range.