Birmingham – Berks Sports Report

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:22:00 +0000

Bob Birmingham is a fixture in the Berks County high school basketball community. Birmingham is preparing for his 35th season as a girls basketball head coach. This will be his 13th season at Berks Catholic. He spent 22 years on the sideline with Holy Name. “I don’t get as nervous as I used to. It’s still as much fun as it was 35 years ago,” he said with a smile. Birmingham enters this season with a record of (637-306). He’s (238-98) with the Saints. Birmingham has won five Berks County championships and three District 3 titles in his career. Berks Catholic is expected to be a contender again this winter, despite losing Caraline Herb to graduation. The all-county guard finished with 1,140 points and 219 three-pointers. “She was not only our best shooter, but our best all around player and our best defender. You don’t replace a kid like that,” emphasized Birmingham. The Saints ran the table in Division 1 a season ago. They won 20 games, but had some heartbreaking losses in the postseason. Reading defeated Berks Catholic 39-33 in the BCIAA semifinals at Santander Arena. The Red Knights outscored the Saints 17-5 in the fourth quarter. Amaya Stewart sank a trey with six seconds left in the District 3-4A semifinals to give Wyomissing a 24-23 victory at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Berks Catholic then fell to Audenried 59-54 in the opening round of the state playoffs. The Saints had a ten point advantage in the final quarter. “I think it’s in the back of their heads. We don’t talk about last year. We talk about next game,” replied Birmingham. He has three starters returning that are part of a talented junior class. Point guard Madison Langdon averaged 11 points as a sophomore and was voted to the all-division team. Molly McFadden and Sydney Corado have the ability to shoot from the perimeter at 5’10 and 6’ respectively. They each provided 8 ppg. last season when Berks Catholic allowed just 38.5 points a night. “That’s what we really hang our hat on, our defensive ability,” said Birmingham. The Saints host Delone Catholic in an intriguing opener on Friday night. Birmingham will square off against his good friend, Gerry Eckenrode. The Squirettes have won seven District 3 championships and three state crowns. Eckenrode is (643-214) overall and (565-148) at Delone Catholic. Berks Catholic will be battling Wilson, Reading, Gov. Mifflin, and Muhlenberg in Division 1. Birmingham knows that the road ahead could be bumpy. “The county’s gonna be real strong because there were a lot of young players last year…It’s real tough. You’re playing solid teams day in and day out,” he said.

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 11:25:00 +0000

It’s early January, but the Berks Catholic girls basketball team is already battle-tested. You won’t find any cupcakes on the Saints’ non-league schedule. They’ve faced Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Methacton, Delone Catholic, and Eastern York. Plus, Berks Catholic met St. Joseph by-the-Sea at a showcase in Wildwood, New Jersey. Saints’ coach Bob Birmingham called that squad from Staten Island one of the best teams he’s seen in years. Berks Catholic lost 69-25. “It really tells you where you’re at. We wanted to put a tough schedule together so that we are ready by the end of the year. Losses early are good, it makes you work hard and it makes you be hungry,” said Birmingham. This is his 34th season as a head coach. He guided Holy Name to three District 3 titles over 22 years. The Blue Jays reached the Class 2A state championship game in 1993. Birmingham is (624-302) overall with five Berks County titles. He’s gone (225-94) with the Saints. We talked about what he enjoys most about coaching. Birmingham replied, “Just being in the gym with the kids, it keeps you young. It’s nice to be around kids who are enthusiastic, who want to learn…and I’ve been blessed with a lot of players who are like that.” The (7-4, 4-0) Saints won at Gov. Mifflin 48-38 on Thursday. Sophomores Madison Langdon and Molly McFadden scored 17 points apiece. Berks Catholic hit the road on Saturday and blew out Eastern York 54-26. Senior Caraline Herb poured in 21 points. The 5’7 guard is averaging a team-high 13 points with 26 treys. Eastern York had been #1 in the District 3-4A power rankings. The Saints still have upcoming non-league matchups with Lancaster Catholic and York Catholic. Birmingham also knows that Division 1 of the Berks League is always tough with competition from Reading, Wilson, and Gov. Mifflin. The Mustangs are the defending county champions. They stunned Berks Catholic 41-40 in the county semifinals at Santander Arena a season ago. The Saints advanced to the District 3-4A Final where they fell to Delone Catholic 33-27 at the Giant Center. Berks Catholic will be a factor this postseason as well. Finally, I asked the longtime coach what he thinks about introducing a shot clock into Pennsylvania high school basketball. “I think it’s okay how it is. I don’t think there is a need for it. Most teams are shooting the ball before 35 seconds anyway. It is also an added cost to all schools,” noted Birmingham.

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 23:08:00 +0000

Caraline Herb made twelve 3-pointers last season against Reading. The 5’7 junior was an amazing 12-15 from beyond the arc in that game last February. You can understand why Berks Catholic head coach Bob Birmingham was glad to see the ball end up in Herb’s hands with five seconds left and the season on the line against Lake-Lehman. “I’ll take that shot any day of the week,” said Birmingham. Unfortunately for the Saints, Herb’s 3-pointer from the right wing was a little long and the Black Knights escaped Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium with a 39-37 victory in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs. 6’1 F/C Hailey Kline sank a pair of free throws to give Lake-Lehman a 37-36 advantage with 3:20 remaining. Moments later, Aaliyah Dabney went 1-2 from the stripe to even the score at 37. Berks Catholic was shutout for the last three minutes. Kline grabbed an offensive rebound and put it home with 1:40 to go. Those were the final points of the night. Birmingham emphasized that the (21-4) Black Knights were taller at every position. They outrebounded the Saints 44-19. The #3 seed from District 2 finished with 19 offensive rebounds. Kline (13) and 6’1 senior Claire Dougherty (12) combined for 25 points. They scored all eight of Lake-Lehman’s points in the fourth quarter. Dougherty is a four-year starter who reached 1,000 points last month. She’s committed to Division II Holy Family. The Black Knights did almost all of their damage in the lane, while Berks Catholic relied primarily on perimeter shooting. The Saints were 6-21 from deep. Dougherty hit Lake-Lehman’s only triple in the first quarter. The Black Knights went 8-10 from the foul line, while Berks Catholic was 3-5. Sophomore Brenna Hunt’s layup before the buzzer tied the game at eight after eight minutes. Lake-Lehman open the second quarter with an 8-0 run. Eight of Hunt’s ten points came in that period when the Saints were outscored 18-11. Berks Catholic started the third quarter with a 9-0 spurt which included a trey from Sydney Brown and a three-point play by Caroline Reedy. Freshman Madison Langdon splashed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:40 left, and the Saints went up 28-26. Reedy connected from downtown with twenty seconds to play in the quarter. The District 3 runner-up entered the final period with a 32-31 edge. The (21-7) Saints managed just five points over the last eight minutes. They only allowed 13 in the second half. Reedy had a team-high eleven points. The Berks County Player of the Year ends her career with 1,053 points. Birmingham praised Reedy’s consistency. Dabney, a 5’7 senior, added ten points with six coming in the first quarter. Birmingham gave credit to Dabney for her toughness, enthusiasm, and versatility on defense. Senior point guard Mackenzie Gordos will play at DeSales. Birmingham discussed how much she improved over the past four years. Freshmen Sydney Corado and Molly McFadden, along with Langdon, got major minutes this season. Birmingham said, “Our future is always bright.” Three of Berks Catholic’s seven losses came against District 3-4A champion Delone Catholic. Lake-Lehman, the Division 2 champ in the Wyoming Valley Conference, advances to face Jim Thorpe in the second round on Saturday. The Black Knights have been playing without leading scorer Chase Purdy. The 5’11 senior suffered a season-ending knee injury. Freshman Ella Wilson hurt her left ankle early in the third quarter at Berks Catholic. The 5’10 guard returned in the final period. Lake-Lehman never got out of its 2-3 zone. The Saints simply couldn’t get enough shots to drop. Birmingham wraps up his 33rd season with a career record of (617-298).

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 17:38:00 +0000

The Berks Catholic girls basketball team outscored top-seeded Delone Catholic 24-19 over the last three quarters. The problem for the third-seeded Saints was the first eight minutes of the District 3-4A championship at the Giant Center. The (26-1) Squirettes held Berks Catholic to three points in the opening period. Giana Hoddinott’s putback in the closing seconds gave Delone a 14-3 cushion. Hoddinott finished with 16 points in a 33-27 victory. The Mount St. Mary’s recruit led the Squirettes to their seventh District 3 championship. This was their 19th appearance in the finals. You can understand why Saints’ coach Bob Birmingham calls Delone one of the marquee programs in District 3. Berks Catholic allowed just one point in the second quarter until Hoddinott’s pretty spin move in the lane before the buzzer. The (21-6) Saints trailed 17-10 at halftime. They pulled within three points in the third quarter, but Hoddinott drilled a step-back 3-pointer to make it 22-16. Birmingham said the 5’9 senior is a very skilled guard with a variety of moves. The Squirettes were on top 26-18 entering the final period. Mackenzie Gordos hit a triple from the right wing with 55 seconds remaining. It was 32-27 at that point, but Berks Catholic wouldn’t score again. Maggie Hughes and Makenna Mummert had six points apiece. Delone was 10-16 from the free throw line and 3-12 from beyond the arc. The Saints also struggled from distance. They connected on just four of their 15 attempts from 3-point land. Birmingham attributed the shooting woes to good defense. He added that the Squirettes limited the scoring opportunities for Caroline Reedy and Caraline Herb. Reedy, the Berks County Player of the Year, managed just one field goal and six points. Herb, who’s tied for the most 3-pointers in the Berks League with 48, was held to three points. Reedy and Herb have combined for 25 points per game this year. Junior guard Sydney Brown scored a team-high eight points as Berks Catholic lost to Delone for the third time this season. The Squirettes won 49-36 in December and 55-40 in late January. The Saints reached the District 3 championship game for the first time since 2018. They’re (0-3) in the finals. Birmingham and Squirettes’ coach Gerry Eckenrode are very good friends. They’ve both been extremely successful. Eckenrode has 616 career victories including 538 over 23 years at Delone. He added some humor to the interview with a surprise appearance. Birmingham spent 22 seasons at Holy Name before becoming the head coach at Berks Catholic. He’s (617-297) over 33 years. Birmingham knows that facing the Squirettes is good preparation for the state playoffs. He was happy with the way his team handled Delone’s pressure. The Saints will host Lake-Lehman at 7pm on Wednesday in the opening round of the PIAA-4A tournament.

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 23:50:00 +0000

Bob Birmingham and Mike Clark have combined for 880 wins. Their squads captured the last seven Berks County championships. The Saints cruised past Gov. Mifflin 65-48 on December 21st, but they were missing all-county guard Caraline Herb in the rematch. The 5’7 junior was leading the Berks League with 34 three-pointers. The Mustangs are certainly comfortable from beyond the arc as well. Gov. Mifflin entered the night with 81 treys. For perspective, Exeter was second in the county with 60. The Mustangs have four double digit scorers. They came into Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium as the highest-scoring team in the league at 55 points per game. However, they were limited to 22 points in the second half of a 50-45 loss to Berks Catholic. Birmingham stressed to his players that they needed to get out and guard the 3-point line. Gov. Mifflin only made three triples, while the Saints knocked down seven from long range. Birmingham told me that Aaliyah Dabney is a catalyst on the defensive end with her versatility and energy. Dabney finished with six points and a team-high nine rebounds. Her steal and layup before the buzzer was the cherry on top for the (16-3, 9-0) Saints. Berks Catholic took an early 15-7 advantage, but trailed 23-21 at halftime and 34-33 after the third quarter. Caroline Reedy scored ten of her 13 points in the first half. Reedy and fellow senior Mackenzie Gordos sank four straight free throws to put the Saints in front 47-40 with 45 seconds left. Gordos, who provided nine points, connected on a big 3-pointer midway through the final period. Madison Langdon may only be 5’1, but the freshman came up large with a dozen points including two 3’s. Langdon had a season-high 15 points at Shillington last month. Birmingham said, “The sky is the limit for what she can do.” Sydney Corado and Molly McFadden are also in ninth grade. Birmingham mentioned that the seniors have a lot of confidence in the freshmen. He likes the work ethic of that trio. Corado chipped in with seven points against the (11-7, 6-3) Mustangs. Gov. Mifflin was led by Anyah Ortiz’s 13 points. The 5’4 junior jammed eight into the second quarter. Shakyla Mayo contributed ten points and 5’8 sophomore Taylor Koenig added nine. The Mustangs were an outstanding 12-14 from the FT line. Berks Catholic went 11-16. Birmingham enjoys the competition in Division 1. He’s (612-294) over 33 seasons at Holy Name and Berks Catholic.

Bob Birmingham-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 22:04:00 +0000

As if reaching 600 career wins wasn’t great enough, Bob Birmingham did it while enjoying temperatures in the mid 80s at one of the world’s most popular resorts! The Berks Catholic head coach has been taking his teams to Orlando since 1994. On Friday, the Saints blew out Roosevelt High School from Oregon 49-12 at the KSA Tournament. That victory improved Birmingham’s all-time record to (600-293). This is his 33rd season as a head coach. He spent 22 years at Holy Name before taking over the Berks Catholic program. Birmingham guided the 1993 Blue Jays to the Class 2A state championship game. He led Holy Name to three District 3 titles. Birmingham has won five Berks County championships including three at Berks Catholic since 2017. He told me why he enjoys participating in the KSA Tournament, and his favorite rides at Walt Disney World. We talked about the biggest influences on his coaching career. Birmingham mentioned longtime Holy Name boys basketball coach Lloyd Wolf and current Berks Catholic football coach Rick Keeley. I asked Birmingham what advice would he give to a young coach. He replied, “We use basketball to teach the game of life.” Birmingham stressed that he’s been blessed with a lot of great players, assistant coaches, and administrators. He called Caraline Herb the best shooter that has ever played for him. The 5’7 junior led Berks County with 60 3-pointers last season. Herb tied the state record with twelve against Reading in February! We discussed his goals for this year’s team and the competition in Division 1. Birmingham has three freshman who are getting varsity playing time. Sydney Corado, Madison Langdon, and Molly McFadden have a very bright future. The Saints won 19 games and the county championship last season. Herb and Caroline Reedy, both all-county selections, are back. Berks Catholic takes on perennial power Gov. Mifflin on Tuesday. Birmingham knows that the Saints will have to play good defense on the perimeter. He’s the reigning Berks County Coach of the Year.