Jay Jay Jordan-Berks Catholic

“An exemplary display or performance.” That’s one definition for the word clinic. That’s precisely what the District 3-4A championship game turned into on Thursday afternoon in Hershey. Top-seeded Berks Catholic dominated #3 seed Middletown from the opening tip. The (23-4) Saints were on top 19-4 after eight minutes. They led 32-12 at halftime and 47-21 after the third quarter. It was a clinic indeed. Jay Jay Jordan attacked the rim early and often. The all-county point guard finished with a game-high 17 points including eight in the opening period. The 5’10 junior told me that his teammates were very confident about shooting from long range in the spacious Giant Center. They weren’t kidding. Berks Catholic went 8-17 from beyond the arc. Jack Miller connected three times for all nine of his points. Aidan Sands hit two triples and ended up with eight points. Ryan Koch poured in 16 points. His trey in the first quarter increased his season total to 59, the most in the Berks Conference. Jordan mentioned that having great shooters takes pressure off of him. Aron Reinhart contributed seven points off the bench. He and Sands splashed consecutive 3-pointers in the second quarter to put the Saints in front 25-6. Tajae Broadie fouled Koch from behind the line just before the halftime buzzer. The 6’3 junior made all three foul shots for a 20-point cushion at the break. The (20-4) Blue Raiders never threatened Berks Catholic. Middletown got 15 points from Broadie. The 6’4, 240-pound senior is headed to Old Dominion where he’s projected to play tight end. Broadie was an all-state selection at defensive end this past season. Saints’ coach Snip Esterly said Sands did a terrific job guarding Broadie who needs two points to reach 1,000. Senior point guard Tate Leach, a three-year starter, had seven points. He was held to one field goal. Leach is committed to Bridgewater in Virginia for football. The Blue Raiders were 13-15 from the free throw line, but struggled mightily from distance. They were 2-12 from deep and shot just 27% from the field. Berks Catholic was 8-10 from the charity stripe. The Saints captured their fourth District 3 championship and first since 2018. Jordan talked about the vast improvement from a (6-11) campaign a season ago. It’s the 13th District 3 title for Esterly. He’s (769-211) over 33 seasons. Esterly spent his first 22 years as the head coach at Reading Central Catholic. Middletown was trying to repeat as District 3 champions. The Blue Raiders fell to (5-12) all-time in District Finals. The Saints are a sparkling (26-8) in the District 3 playoffs. They left no doubt as to who was bringing home gold medals this year.