Jay Jay Jordan-Berks Catholic

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but when you’re in the playoffs the only thing that matters is moving on. That’s what the Saints did Wednesday night at Santander Arena. Jay Jay Jordan muscled his way to the basket with eight seconds left. His layup gave second-seeded Berks Catholic a 41-40 victory over #6 seed Exeter in the BCIAA semifinals. The (20-3) Saints were on top 30-29 after the third quarter. Longtime head coach Snip Esterly kept Jordan on the bench to begin the final period. The three-year starter at point guard didn’t go back into the game until the 2:15 mark. Jordan told me that it was tough being on the sideline for that long, but he never lost faith in his teammates. The 5’10 junior averages a team-high 16 points per game. He was limited to seven points by the (11-12) Eagles. Jack Miller nailed a trey from the left corner to put Berks Catholic up 39-36 with 1:35 remaining. Colin Payne responded with back-to-back mid-range jump shots. The Eagles had a one point edge with 45 seconds to go. Junior point guard Zyion Paschall missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 24 seconds to play. That kept the Saints within a point, and set the stage for Jordan’s heroics. Alex Kelsey drove down the left side of the lane, however the sophomore guard couldn’t convert in the final seconds for Exeter. Reece Garvin came up with the loose ball. His quick shot fell short at the buzzer. I asked Jordan about his clutch basket. He replied, “I’m not the biggest guy, but I’ve got grit and I have a lot of heart.” We discussed the contributions of seniors Aidan Sands and Christian Cacchione. Sands finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Ten of his points came in the second quarter including a 3-pointer that gave Berks Catholic its first lead at 21-20. Cacchione chipped in with six points off the bench. The all-county football player didn’t join the basketball team until mid-January. Speaking of the gridiron, Payne and Anthony Caccese combined for 24 points. Caccese, a 6’6, 265-pound offensive tackle, pulled down 15 boards. He had a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds in the quarterfinals at Wilson. Payne is one of the top three scorers in the county along with Ruben Rodriguez of Reading and Muhlenberg’s Edwin Suarez. Payne poured in a team-high 14 points against the Saints. The 6’3 senior is coming off a record-setting season at quarterback. Both squads struggled mightily at the free throw line. The Eagles were 3-10, while Berks Catholic went 6-16. Jordan said he’s going to go back into the lab to work on his foul shots after a 1-6 evening. While shooting in a large arena can be difficult, Jordan didn’t want to make excuses. Neither team scored for the first three and a-half minutes of the third quarter. Each team committed eight turnovers. The slow tempo was to the liking of Exeter head coach Matt Ashcroft who played for Esterly at Central Catholic. They won a state title together in 2007. Esterly is (766–210) over 33 years as a head coach. His all-time postseason record is an astonishing (190-69). Jordan explained why the Saints have improved so much this season. They missed the playoffs last year with a record of (6-11). They’ll battle Reading for the county title on Friday at Santander Arena. Berks Catholic is looking for its fourth BCIAA championship. Meanwhile, Exeter is the #10 seed in the District 3-5A tournament. The Eagles visit Milton Hershey next week. Three of Exeter’s twelve losses have come against Berks Catholic.