Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Several Berks Catholic basketball players were under the weather this week. Gavin Welker and Brady Altimar, both starters, missed Friday’s game at Muhlenberg due to an illness. The Saints are also without Jeremiah Camara who suffered a torn meniscus in their season opener. Camara averaged a team-high 14 points per game at Reading last season. Kingston McKoy is healthy and the Colgate commit put on a show in Laureldale. “With those guys down, I just know there’s more shots in my hand. I always like that,” replied McKoy. The 6’4 senior guard exploded for a career-high 40 points in a 69-55 victory that put Berks Catholic alone atop Division I of the BCIAA standings. Head coach Snip Esterly, who earned his 845th career win, thought it was one of McKoy’s best performances ever. “I’ll tell you what, definitely in the top three. That young man carried us. He did everything; played great defense, had the 3 going. I bet he had about 10-12 rebounds as well,” said Esterly.
McKoy made seven 3-pointers including the first four that he attempted. The two-time All-State selection jammed eleven points into the first quarter and connected three times from beyond the arc. The (5-1, 3-0) Saints grabbed a 21-12 lead after eight minutes. Their advantage grew to 31-18 before Nelson “Coco” Malave got hot from long range. The 6’1 junior guard erupted for 13 points in the second period. Malave’s third trey of the quarter pulled the (6-2, 3-1) Muhls within 32-27 with 2:10 remaining in the first half. The Reading transfer finished with a career-high 25 points. He sank four of Muhlenberg’s seven 3-pointers.
McKoy opened the second half by hitting a triple to put Berks Catholic on top 38-27. The reigning Berks County Player of the Year had ten points in the third quarter. The Muhls trailed 53-40 entering the final period. LJ Armstrong splashed a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, but Muhlenberg would never threaten the Saints. McKoy provided eleven of his team’s sixteen points over the last eight minutes. He went 5-of-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter and 7-of-8 overall. Carmelo Harper chipped in with nine points. The 6’1 sophomore guard had seven in the first half. Johnny Giesa and Oye “Junior” Guilavogui scored eight points apiece. McKoy mentioned that he has the utmost confidence in his teammates. “If I’m getting doubled, I’m always gonna give it up. I’m just here to make my teammates better,” he stated humbly. McKoy also limited Eli Hemmings to five points. Hemmings, a 6’4 junior guard, entered the night averaging a team-high 15 ppg. Armstrong ended up with 18 points. The Muhls were 8-for-14 from the charity stripe, while the Saints went 10-for-15. Berks Catholic made eleven 3-pointers.
The Saints reached the PIAA-4A Championship a season ago before falling to Devon Prep 55-39 at the Giant Center. Berks Catholic claimed its sixth District 3 title with a 67-44 rout of Eastern York. The Saints were the #1 seed in the BCIAA tournament, but got tripped up by Reading 48-41 in the semifinals. They haven’t captured a Berks County championship since 2018. “That’s one thing we want to win for sure this year,” noted McKoy. He excels off the court as well with a 4.2 GPA which made Colgate a great fit. “I’m really into the books. I’m a student-athlete. I pay attention in class. Colgate is a great school. It’s a really good education,” said McKoy. Esterly added, “I think Colgate got a good one.”