Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Brady Altimar is averaging 3.7 points per game. He was just 6-of-15 from the free throw line this season entering Friday’s BCIAA Championship at Santander Arena. When his team needed him most, the 5’9 senior guard came through. Altimar splashed a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the game with 2:17 left in overtime. He then drained a pair of foul shots to put top-seeded Berks Catholic in front of third-seeded Reading 59-57 with 1:39 remaining. “What a big time shot that was and then the free throws. They were pure as can be. Brady is a great shooter. He shoots the lights out at practice. We’re trying to get him to shoot more,” noted head coach Snip Esterly. The (22-2) Saints defeated the (18-7) Red Knights 62-57 for their first Berks County title since 2018. Berks Catholic extended its winning streak to 16 games.
Altimar, who finished with seven points, said it was one of the best games that he’s ever played in. “It’s definitely top 5. Reading is always a tough team. They play good defense, they hustle, and they play hard. It was a great game,” replied Altimar. Esterly, who earned career win #862 over 37 years, agreed that this was an instant classic. “I’m not gonna say it was the best [BCIAA] Final ever, but it was a great game,” he emphasized. Altimar mentioned that most people have the wrong impression of Esterly. “Everyone thinks he’s just mean and yells, but he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He always asks how I’m doing. He’s probably the best coach I’ve ever had,” stated Altimar. Esterly has nine Berks Conference championships on his resume, including four with the Saints.
Both teams came out on fire. Kingston McKoy hit two triples in the opening quarter and Berks Catholic led 19-16 after eight action-packed minutes. Before the second quarter began, there was a delay to replace one of the nets. The scoring slowed down considerably in second period as the Red Knights built a 26-21 advantage. The Saints were held to two points until Oye “Junior” Guilavogui drained a trey from the left corner with six seconds to go. The senior guard had 16 points in the Saints’ 68-47 rout of Reading on January 31st at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. The Red Knights took their first meeting 48-40 at the Geigle Complex on December 29th.
McKoy started the second half with five quick points. His three-point play put Berks Catholic in front 29-26. The Colgate commit and two-time All-State pick poured in 29 points, including eleven in the third quarter. Carmelo Harper, a 6’1 sophomore guard, added 14 points. “He’s gonna be good. He’s frying everybody. It’s gonna be scary for the county next year,” remarked Altimar. Harper sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 32-28 with 6:27 to play in the third period. Reading responded and took a 33-32 lead on Raybin Rubio’s three-point play. The 6’1 sophomore guard was recently inserted into the starting lineup. The Saints answered with a 8-0 run. Guilavogui, who chipped in with eight points, and McKoy drilled shots from beyond the arc to give Berks Catholic a 40-33 cushion with 4:36 left in the third quarter. Weshly Rosario, the lone senior starter for the Red Knights, made a short jumper at the buzzer to even things up at 45-45. Rosario and sophomore Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones contributed twelve points apiece. Jamier Jacob had nine points, while Jostin DeCastro was limited to eight. The 6’3 junior guard came into Friday averaging 20.8 ppg.
McKoy opened the fourth quarter with a triple from the top of the key. He found Johnny Giesa for a layup and a 50-47 edge with just over six minutes remaining. McKoy went 2-for-2 from the stripe with 3:24 to go. Reading trailed 54-48 before scoring the next six points. DeCastro split a pair of foul shots with 1:24 on the clock to tie it at 54-54. The Red Knights missed five free throws in the fourth quarter. They were 12-for-19 overall, while the Saints knocked down eight of their nine attempts.
Berks Catholic held the ball for one final shot. McKoy drove down the right side of the lane with five seconds to play. Rosario got a piece of the ball as McKoy was going up and his layup rolled off the rim. In overtime, Jones buried a trey from the right wing with 2:49 on the clock. That was Reading’s only 3-pointer all night. It would also be the last time they scored. Altimar responded thirty seconds later with a long range strike of his own. “Kingston and all my teammates were telling me to keep shooting it, shoot it with confidence. I got open in the corner and let it fly,” he said. It was the tenth 3-pointer for the Saints who played without 6’3 senior forward Gavin Welker for the second straight game due to a school-related issue. Altimar’s clutch free throws made it 59-57. After sophomore Javon Merriweather misfired on a triple from the top of the key, McKoy went 2-for-2 from the stripe with thirty seconds left. The Red Knights were down 61-57 when they committed a turnover with 16 seconds remaining. McKoy split a couple of foul shots for the final margin. The Colgate commit is up to 1,583 career points.
Berks Catholic outscored Reading 8-to-3 in overtime. Both teams did a terrific job of taking care of the basketball. There were only 15 combined turnovers and just seven by the Saints. This heavyweight battle lived up to the hype.
The Red Knights will face #12 seed York High on Tuesday at 7pm at the Geigle Complex in the first round of the District 3-6A playoffs. The Saints don’t play again until Friday, February 20th. They host #8 seed Eastern York at 6pm in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. Berks Catholic blew out Eastern York 67-44 in the District 3-4A Championship last year. It was the sixth District 3 crown for the Saints. Altimar is confident that they will have a long postseason run. “We’re gonna win District’s. We’re gonna go far in State’s too,” he stated.