Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

The Berks Catholic girls basketball team outscored top-seeded Delone Catholic 24-19 over the last three quarters. The problem for the third-seeded Saints was the first eight minutes of the District 3-4A championship at the Giant Center. The (26-1) Squirettes held Berks Catholic to three points in the opening period. Giana Hoddinott’s putback in the closing seconds gave Delone a 14-3 cushion. Hoddinott finished with 16 points in a 33-27 victory. The Mount St. Mary’s recruit led the Squirettes to their seventh District 3 championship. This was their 19th appearance in the finals. You can understand why Saints’ coach Bob Birmingham calls Delone one of the marquee programs in District 3. Berks Catholic allowed just one point in the second quarter until Hoddinott’s pretty spin move in the lane before the buzzer. The (21-6) Saints trailed 17-10 at halftime. They pulled within three points in the third quarter, but Hoddinott drilled a step-back 3-pointer to make it 22-16. Birmingham said the 5’9 senior is a very skilled guard with a variety of moves. The Squirettes were on top 26-18 entering the final period. Mackenzie Gordos hit a triple from the right wing with 55 seconds remaining. It was 32-27 at that point, but Berks Catholic wouldn’t score again. Maggie Hughes and Makenna Mummert had six points apiece. Delone was 10-16 from the free throw line and 3-12 from beyond the arc. The Saints also struggled from distance. They connected on just four of their 15 attempts from 3-point land. Birmingham attributed the shooting woes to good defense. He added that the Squirettes limited the scoring opportunities for Caroline Reedy and Caraline Herb. Reedy, the Berks County Player of the Year, managed just one field goal and six points. Herb, who’s tied for the most 3-pointers in the Berks League with 48, was held to three points. Reedy and Herb have combined for 25 points per game this year. Junior guard Sydney Brown scored a team-high eight points as Berks Catholic lost to Delone for the third time this season. The Squirettes won 49-36 in December and 55-40 in late January. The Saints reached the District 3 championship game for the first time since 2018. They’re (0-3) in the finals. Birmingham and Squirettes’ coach Gerry Eckenrode are very good friends. They’ve both been extremely successful. Eckenrode has 616 career victories including 538 over 23 years at Delone. He added some humor to the interview with a surprise appearance. Birmingham spent 22 seasons at Holy Name before becoming the head coach at Berks Catholic. He’s (617-297) over 33 years. Birmingham knows that facing the Squirettes is good preparation for the state playoffs. He was happy with the way his team handled Delone’s pressure. The Saints will host Lake-Lehman at 7pm on Wednesday in the opening round of the PIAA-4A tournament.