Matt Coldren and Madyx Gruber-Wilson

Wilson lost three of its last four regular season games. The Bulldogs have flipped the switch in the Berks County playoffs. They dismantled fifth-seeded Exeter 74-51 in the quarterfinals and then knocked off top-seeded Berks Catholic 59-46 in the semifinals. “We knew we had to pick it up,” said Madyx Gruber. The 5’11 junior erupted for a career-high 31 points on Wednesday at Santander Arena. “When he believes in himself, he is one of the best players in this league. Tonight he played with a lot of confidence and energy,” stated head coach Matt Coldren. Gruber connected twice from long range in the first quarter. “As soon as I hit the first one, I knew it was over,” he replied. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs were up 15-10 after eight minutes. Gruber hit two more triples in the second period. Wilson had a 28-19 advantage at halftime. The (20-3) Saints came out of the locker room on fire. They used a 13-to-2 run to go in front 32-30 on Parker Nein’s 3-pointer. The (16-8) Bulldogs responded and took a 42-36 lead into the fourth quarter. Gruber crammed 13 points into the final period. “I’m so proud of him because he works really hard,” said Coldren. Sophomore guard Correll Akings contributed 14 points and Wilson committed just four turnovers. Gruber sank five of their nine shots from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were 10-of-14 from the foul line, while Berks Catholic went 7-for-9. Nein and Josh McKoy scored 13 points apiece. Cam Zullinger’s steal created a fast break and three-point play for Gruber with 1:40 remaining. Wilson’s cushion increased to 55-45. The Saints are without promising sophomore guard Kingston McKoy who broke his tibia on January 23rd against Reading. Berks Catholic is the No. 1 seed in the District 3-4A tournament. The Bulldogs advanced to face second-seeded Reading in Friday’s BCIAA championship at 8pm.