Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Wilson and Gov. Mifflin are moving on in the PIAA-6A boys basketball playoffs. The (24-6) Bulldogs outlasted Plymouth Whitemarsh 56-51 in overtime on Saturday. The (20-9) Colonials were the District 1 runner-up. Wilson finished fifth in the District 3 tournament. The Bulldogs led 31-27 at halftime, but were outscored 12-to-5 in the third quarter. Luke Levan tied it at 49-49 with two seconds left in regulation. Plymouth Whitemarsh anticipated a skip pass to All-County guard Madyx Gruber. Two defenders went to Gruber on the wing, while Levan slipped the screen and got a layup. The 6’6 senior provided a dozen points and eight rebounds. Levan scored four points in overtime. Wilson allowed just two points in the extra session. Gruber had a team-high 16 points and seven boards. The 5’11 senior made all four of his 3-pointers in the first half. Correll Akings added 13 points including seven in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs connected eight times from beyond the arc. The Colonials only hit three triples. Mani Sajid jammed ten of his 19 points into the fourth period. The highly-touted 6’5 junior guard averaged nearly 23 points this season. Michael Pereira, a 6’9 junior, chipped in with twelve points. Both teams were 8-for-12 from the free throw line. Wilson will face District 10 champion McDowell in the second round on Wednesday. That’s a 5:30pm tip at Pitt-Johnstown University. McDowell blew out Pittsburgh Central Catholic 72-40 on Saturday.
Gov. Mifflin qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time in program history. The Mustangs made the most of the opportunity on Saturday. They knocked off Mt. Lebanon 66-54 in Shillington. The Blue Devils were the #4 seed from District 7. Gov. Mifflin finished third in the District 3 tournament. The (20-9) Mustangs, who were (8-14) last season, held a 31-27 advantage at halftime. They outscored Mt. Lebanon 21-to-11 in a decisive third quarter. Gov. Mifflin spent a lot of time at the foul line. The Mustangs ended up 28-for-35 from the stripe, while the Blue Devils were 6-of-11. Andrew Galantuomo poured in a game-high 22 points. The 5’7 senior point guard made nine of his ten free throws. Jahmair Johnson, a 6’3 senior forward, scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Matt Koehler added 15 points. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Mt. Lebanon did most of its work from long range. The (17-10) Blue Devils splashed a dozen 3-pointers. Liam Sheely hit four treys and provided 17 points. Carter Gould (14) and Jacob Zuber (13) combined for 27 points. Gov. Mifflin will meet District 7 champ Upper St. Clair in the second round on Wednesday. They’ll get underway at 6:30pm at Altoona. Upper St. Clair hammered York High 67-30 in the opening round.
Antietam’s season came to a close on Saturday evening in Philadelphia. The Mounts fell at West Catholic 79-35 in the first round of the PIAA-3A playoffs. Antietam finished with a record of (15-11). The Mounts took third place in the District 3 tournament.
