Gavin Welker-Berks Catholic

Kingston McKoy put an exclamation point on Berks Catholic’s 50-38 win at Wilson with a thunderous one-handed dunk. “It was electric. I’ve never seen something like that,” emphasized Gavin Welker. In the first quarter, however, it was Welker who stole the show with seven points in eight minutes. The 6’3 senior forward provided 13 of the Saints’ 24 points at halftime. Welker, who entered Monday averaging 5.2 points, knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening half. “I like to get into a rhythm. Once I hit my first one, I knew I was gonna look for my shot more. It just kept going in,” explained Welker.

Berks Catholic was on top 12-11 after a quarter and 24-21 at halftime. Welker hit a triple from the left wing early in the second quarter to give the Saints a 17-11 advantage. They opened the third period with a 8-0 run. Brady Altimar and Carmelo Harper drilled back-to-back 3-pointers. McKoy drove end to end for a layup which extended Berks Catholic’s lead to 38-25. The (11-6, 5-3) Bulldogs were outscored 15-to-7 in the third quarter. They managed just 17 points in the second half. Wilson struggled offensively when these teams met back on December 8th. The Saints prevailed in their first meeting 38-28 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium.

Correll Akings sank a trey from the top of the key with 4:50 remaining. The All-County guard brought the Bulldogs within 43-34, but they were held to four points the rest of the way. Wilson graduated eight seniors and four starters from last year’s (24-7) squad. Meanwhile, Berks Catholic returned a two-time All-State selection in McKoy. The 6’4 senior guard scored eight points in the third quarter and seven more in the fourth. Although he didn’t shoot well from long range, the Colgate commit finished with a game-high 22 points. “He’s a great player, a great teammate. He does everything right. There’s nothing more I can say about him,” said Welker. McKoy, the reigning Berks County Player of the Year, went 8-for-9 from the foul line. Welker ended up with 13 points. Harper and Johnny Giesa added six points apiece.

The (12-2, 7-1) Saints extended their winning streak to six games. They connected five times from beyond the arc, while Wilson only made two 3-pointers. Akings led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including eight in the final quarter. Peter Kelfala chipped in with nine points and Mike Glover had eight. Wilson was 10-of-14 from the stripe. The Bulldogs have lost four of their last six contests. Berks Catholic went 9-for-11 from the free throw line. The Saints are a-half game ahead of Muhlenberg for first place in the division. Reading is in third place with a (6-2) league record. “It means a lot to get a road win in a Division 1 game,” noted Welker.