Basketball

I was talking with Berks Catholic head coach Snip Esterly recently, and he mentioned that I haven’t posted rankings for awhile. Well Snip, ask and you shall receive! The truth is that I wanted a larger sample size of games to better evaluate all of the teams. Without further ado, …

When Berks Catholic and Wilson met in mid-December, the game was tied entering the fourth quarter. The Saints pulled out a 43-34 victory. On Monday, Berks Catholic took care of business early in West Lawn. The (12-5, 8-0) Saints scored the first nine points and led 21-6 after eight minutes. …

Getting down 12-0 to one of the top Class 6A teams in District 3 wasn’t exactly part of Snip Esterly’s game plan. “I calmly told them in the huddle that it’s just where we want them,” joked Esterly. The longtime head coach with 783 wins over 34 seasons is well …

Exeter point guard Zyion Paschall takes a lot of pride in his defense. “I feel like I’m one of the best defenders in the county, and I really don’t care who you are. I’m gonna lock you down,” stated Paschall. The 5’10 senior also came through on the other end …

Muhlenberg head coach Matt Flowers calls “Dan Dan” Mosquera the closer. “When it’s under two minutes, I tell him to go get the ball. I tell him to win the game for us,” said Flowers. That’s exactly what Mosquera did on Friday night in a 48-46 victory over Berks Catholic. …

Reading’s boys basketball team is like an avalanche. You’re never sure when it’s coming, but when it does, look out. The avalanche came in the third quarter of Tuesday’s Division 1 matchup with Muhlenberg. The Red Knights erupted for 27 points in eight minutes and turned a 33-28 halftime edge …

You couldn’t tell in the first quarter which team was (11-0) and which had lost three in a row. Fleetwood scored the first six points at Wyomissing. The Tigers led 9-2 when Kansas State commit Alexis Hess drained a deep 3-pointer from the left wing. Sophomore guard Alexis Hardy was …

It’s early January, but the Berks Catholic girls basketball team is already battle-tested. You won’t find any cupcakes on the Saints’ non-league schedule. They’ve faced Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Methacton, Delone Catholic, and Eastern York. Plus, Berks Catholic met St. Joseph by-the-Sea at a showcase in Wildwood, New Jersey. Saints’ coach Bob Birmingham …

If you were looking for highlights for the SportsCenter Top Ten, West Lawn wasn’t the place to be on Thursday. When rivals Reading and Wilson square off, it’s not about style points. “We’re not out here for judges. We’re out here for wins,” said Red Knights’ head coach Rick Perez. …

You could understand why people were surprised to see Ofure Odiale open the game by drilling a shot from beyond the arc. Entering Tuesday’s Division 1 matchup at Muhlenberg, Wilson’s 6’5 senior had made one 3-pointer in his career. “He actually is not a bad shooter. He’s kind of a …