Matt Coldren-Wilson

Wilson head coach Matt Coldren and his team will remember the past five days for a long time. The Bulldogs beat fifth-seeded Exeter, top-seeded Berks Catholic, and second-seeded Reading to win the Berks Conference championship. They held off the Red Knights 54-53 on Friday night in front of 3,443 fans at Santander Arena. “I haven’t coached a team that’s won a championship that had to beat three great teams like we had to this week,” said Coldren. It’s the third county title in the last five years for Wilson and its 12th overall. This one was tight the whole way. Reading, which was attempting a three-peat, led 16-15 after eight minutes. The (17-8) Red Knights were up 32-31 at halftime. They won both regular season contests with the Bulldogs by six points apiece. Wilson gained momentum in the third quarter and built a 41-35 advantage. It was 44-41 entering the final period. A layup by junior guard Madyx Gruber put the (17-8) Bulldogs on top 52-51 with 2:25 remaining. Luke Levan sank a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left. The 6’5 junior made it 54-51. “I’m so proud of him. As far as he has come in a year is amazing. I can’t wait to see what he does in the offseason,” emphasized Coldren. Levan racked up 12 points and 10 rebounds. A layup by freshman guard Jeremiah Camara pulled Reading within 54-53 with 19 seconds to go. After Correll Akings missed two foul shots, the Red Knights had one final possession with two seconds on the clock. Nick Chapman inbounded the ball on the right sideline to Weshly Rosario. Chapman immediately cut to the basket, but Rosario’s return pass was deflected by a diving Gruber to end the thriller. Wilson forced 18 turnovers. Gruber and Tommy McFadden each provided twelve points. That’s a career-high for McFadden who missed the first five games of the season with an injury. “He’s a tough kid. He’s a great kid. He needs to believe in himself a little bit more. I gotta keep building him up,” replied Coldren. Yadiel Cruz poured in a game-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Chapman added eleven points. Rosario had seven points and six assists. Reading went 7-for-12 from the free throw line, while the Bulldogs were 12-for-20. The Red Knights came in averaging 67 points. They were 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Wilson snapped a 9-game losing streak to Reading. “I wish it could be Reading-Wilson every year [in the final]. There’s something special about that rivalry. It brings out the best in both teams,” stated Coldren.