boys – Berks Sports Report

Matt Coldren-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 17:26:50 +0000

The extreme temperatures haven’t slowed down Wilson’s boys basketball team this summer. After beating Exeter 54-37 last week, the Bulldogs improved to (7-0) in the West Reading League. They’re also unbeaten in the Cedar Beach League with a mark of (12-0) in Allentown. “It’s been a good summer. The kids have been very committed. I’m really pleased with where we’re at,” said head coach Matt Coldren. He likes what he has seen on the offensive end of the court. “I think what I’ve been most pleased about is they are sharing the ball which is really huge for us,” noted Coldren. He has an experienced squad with four starters and some key reserves returning from a county championship team. Wilson defeated Reading 54-53 in the Berks Conference Final at Santander Arena. The Bulldogs claimed their third county title in five years. “I think what’s the greatest thing about winning championships…it’s the joy on the kids’ faces and the glow they had,” emphasized Coldren. Wilson finished (17-9) a season ago. Madyx Gruber, Correll Akings, Luke Levan, and Tommy McFadden are all back. Gruber was an All-County selection who averaged nearly twelve points per game. Levan, a 6’5 rising senior, gives the Bulldogs some size. Akings provided a team-high 12.1 ppg. as a sophomore. Coldren has won a school record 408 games over 23 years. He understands that expectations will be high this winter. “I’ve been at Wilson long enough to realize that we’re not really liked so it doesn’t matter whether we’re the favorite or we’re the underdog,” he stated.

Jason Bieber-Fleetwood

Paul Roberts — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 20:33:55 +0000

Fleetwood’s boys basketball team is getting a makeover. The Tigers will look much different this winter. They’ll have five new starters and a new head coach. Jason Bieber takes over for Terry Sitler who retired after twelve years. Bieber is no stranger to Fleetwood. He graduated from the high school in 1994 and lives in the district. In fact, his first coaching position was as an assistant for the Tigers’ boys basketball team. Bieber spent the past two seasons as the girls basketball head coach at Brandywine Heights. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Tulpehocken and Boyertown girls basketball teams. Bieber was with the Trojans for four years. He led the Bears for thirteen seasons. In 2017, Boyertown won the PIAA-6A championship. “It was a magical year…we had five girls that all played college basketball. It was just putting them on the court and guiding them in the right direction,” said Bieber. There will be a bunch of fresh faces in Fleetwood’s lineup this winter. Aiden Soumas, Nate Herb, Hunter Svoboda, Liam Hilburt, and Mason Musitano all graduated after a (20-6) campaign. A lot of playing time will be available in 2024-25. “You all have your opportunity now. It’s brand new, everybody gets a fresh slate,” Bieber told the returning players. He has an overall record of (264-216). Bieber prefers a structured offense. “I do like a lot of sets. We usually have about 6-7 set pieces,” he noted. Bieber is still learning the landscape in the Berks Boys Basketball Conference, but he’s optimistic. “I think we’ll fit in just fine in Berks III and IV. I think a lot of the teams are very similar there,” he replied.

Konlan Krick-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Tue, 28 May 2024 13:41:00 +0000

Wyomissing has found its new boys basketball head coach. Konlan Krick will be taking over the Spartans’ program. Krick has been an assistant coach at Exeter for the past seven years. He also played for the Eagles and averaged a team-high 14 points during the 2011-12 season.

Krick will be replacing Garrett Etzel at Wyomissing. Etzel spent one year as the Spartans’ head coach. They went (11-11) this winter. Etzel left Wyomissing to become the head coach at Gov. Mifflin, his alma mater. The Spartans will be losing six seniors to graduation including Aiden Schippers, Alex Campbell, and Logan Hyde.

Fleetwood hires Bieber

Paul Roberts — Tue, 14 May 2024 22:15:00 +0000

Jason Bieber is very familiar with Fleetwood. He graduated from the high school there in 1994. Bieber’s first coaching job was with the Tigers’ boys basketball team. He was an assistant under Joey Palacz thirty years ago. On Tuesday night, Bieber was officially approved as Fleetwood’s varsity boys basketball coach.

Bieber spent the past two years as the head coach of the Brandywine Heights’ girls basketball team. The Bullets went (14-8) last season, but missed the Berks County and District 3 playoffs. He has an overall record of (264-216). Bieber spent four years coaching the girls team at Tulpehocken. He was the Boyertown girls basketball coach for 13 seasons. Bieber guided the Bears to the Class 6A state championship in 2017. Boyertown defeated North Allegheny 46-35 at the Giant Center in Hershey.

There was an opening at Fleetwood after Terry Sitler retired. He led the Tigers for a dozen years with a mark of (138-126). Fleetwood finished (22-5) two seasons ago and was the District 3-4A runner-up. That squad included Jake Karnish who ended his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,420 points. The Tigers were (20-6) this year. Their starting lineup featured five seniors and included 1,000-point scorer Aiden Soumas. Fleetwood wound up fourth in the District 3-4A tournament. The Tigers lost 79-52 to Scranton Prep in the first round of the state playoffs. Sitler was (264-294) overall including his twelve seasons at Brandywine Heights. Bieber said he’s excited for this new opportunity.

PIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs

Paul Roberts — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 20:12:00 +0000

The BCIAA and District 3 boys basketball playoffs have been decided. One tournament remains. The PIAA brackets were finalized on Sunday. Six teams from Berks County, including High Point Baptist Academy, qualified for the state playoffs. Here are their first round matchups.

Class 6A:

Reading at Chester at 1pm on Saturday, March 9th

Class 5A:

Exeter at Upper Dublin at 7pm on Friday, March 8th

Muhlenberg at Selinsgrove at 7pm on Friday, March 8th

Class 4A:

Berks Catholic at Blue Mountain at 7pm on Friday, March 8th

Fleetwood at Scranton Prep at 7pm on Friday, March 8th

Class A:

High Point Baptist vs. Chester Charter Scholars Academy at 7pm at Upper Merion High School on Friday, March 8th

Reading-Chester Rivalry

Paul Roberts — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 13:54:00 +0000

4,290 is a big number. That’s the amount of victories that the Reading and Chester boys basketball programs have accumulated. The Red Knights and Clippers rank first and second in wins in Pennsylvania history. They will square off on Saturday in the first round of the PIAA-6A playoffs. It’s a 1pm tip in Chester.

Reading holds the state record with 2,265 all-time wins. The Red Knights have captured three state championships in the past seven years. They knocked off Roman Catholic 63-56 in overtime for the Class 6A crown a season ago. Reading owns a record 24 District 3 titles.

Chester has racked up 2,025 victories in its illustrious history. The Clippers have won eight state championships. They’ve been the PIAA runner-up ten times. Chester has brought home gold from 25 District 1 tournaments.

Reading is (19-10) this season. The Red Knights finished fourth in the District 3-6A bracket. Chester also ended up fourth in its district playoffs. The Clippers slipped to (20-4) after falling to West Chester Henderson 65-61 in the third place contest. Dominic Toy led Chester with 19 points. The 6’5, 220-pound senior is a tight end during football season. He’s committed to UConn.

This will be the 43rd meeting between Reading and Chester. The heated rivalry is even at (21-21). The Red Knights have won three straight in the series including a 71-57 victory last season at the Geigle Complex. Ruben Rodriguez dropped 26 points in that matchup and Yadiel Cruz added 14 points. Rodriguez is now playing at Rider. Cruz has become the BCIAA Player of the Year. The 6’2 senior leads Berks County at 22 points per game.

Reading falls at C.V.

Paul Roberts — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 01:02:00 +0000

Reading entered Tuesday’s District 3-6A semifinal averaging 67 points. Cumberland Valley was allowing just 47 points a night. Something had to give at the Dome. The sixth-seeded Red Knights went nearly seven minutes in the fourth quarter with only one field goal. The three-time defending District 3 champs fell to the Eagles 66-47. Cumberland Valley outscored Reading 16-to-3 over the final four minutes. Daquan Burgess hit a triple to pull the Red Knights within 45-42 with seven minutes remaining. They wouldn’t make another shot until Yadiel Cruz’s layup with one minute to go. Cruz, a 6’2 senior, poured in 28 points. The BCIAA Player of the Year exploded for nine points in the opening quarter. Reading led 13-7 in that period. Nick Chapman added eight points. No one else had more than four points for the (19-9) Red Knights. They trailed the second-seeded Eagles 31-25 at halftime. The Mid-Penn Conference champions were on top 44-37 after the third quarter. JJ Lebo finished with a team-high 18 points, ten above his season average. The 6’2 junior guard made a pair of 3-pointers and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Nolan Buzalka proved to be a handful at 6’3, 220 pounds. The TE/DE on the Cumberland Valley football team had 17 points. Creston Austin, a 6’4 junior forward, provided 11 points including nine in the second half. The (23-3) Eagles extended their winning streak to eight. They ended up 18-of-28 from the foul line. Twenty of those attempts came in the fourth quarter when Reading was fouling to stop the clock. The Red Knights were 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Each team connected four times from beyond the arc. The Red Knights struggled from long range against Cumberland Valley’s matchup zone. They attempted 19 treys. Jake Snyder, the lone senior in the Eagles’ starting lineup, chipped in with nine points. Cumberland Valley lost to Reading 55-54 in overtime in last year’s District 3-6A final. The Eagles will get another shot at their first District 3 title on Friday night. They face fourth-seeded Chambersburg at 8pm at the Giant Center. Meanwhile, the Red Knights will host Red Lion in the third place game on Thursday at 7pm.

Kevin Saenz-Exeter

Paul Roberts — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:18:00 +0000

Exeter’s 74-51 loss at Wilson in the BCIAA quarterfinals was a great source of motivation. “It lights a fire under everybody to play better, said Kevin Saenz. The Eagles were back in action for the first time in a week, but they certainly didn’t look rusty. They blew out seventh-seeded Lampeter-Strasburg 73-49 in the first round of the District 3-5A playoffs. This tournament provides an opportunity for Exeter to show its true colors. “Everybody is (0-0) now. It’s a brand new slate for everyone,” emphasized Saenz. The 6’4 senior guard racked up 26 points and knocked down three of the Eagles’ nine 3-pointers. They led 17-10 after the opening quarter and 35-26 at halftime. Reece Garvin got Exeter off to a fast start with eight points in the first eight minutes. Garvin and Saenz were starters a season ago when the Eagles won their first District 3 championship. Lampeter-Strasburg brought home District 3 gold in 2022. The Pioneers were outscored 38-to-23 in the second half on Monday. Exeter entered the night allowing 60 points per game. This was one of their best defensive efforts of the year. “Our offense comes from our defense…Every practice we try to get better at that,” noted Saenz. The tenth-seeded Eagles scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to go up 63-37. Sophomore Aidan Dauble had 14 points and seven rebounds. “He’s been tremendous lately…I’m super proud of him for stepping up. He’s so advanced for his age,” said Saenz. Brady Murray hit two triples and added ten points. Garvin, a 6’4 senior, chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds. Exeter went 10-of-14 from the free throw line and committed just nine turnovers. The (16-8) Pioneers were 9-for-11 from the stripe. Senior guard Yasin Abdi poured in 21 points including 16 in the second half. Chase Smucker ended his junior campaign with 17 points and three treys. The 5’11 guard connected 57 times from beyond the arc this season. Justin Glick, a 6’3 senior, was limited to seven points. The (16-8) Eagles clinched a spot in the state playoffs. They’ll visit #2 seed Mechanicsburg in the District 3 quarterfinals on Thursday at 7pm.

All-Berks Boys Basketball Team

Paul Roberts — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:09:00 +0000

The coaches in the BCIAA vote for the All-County basketball team each year. Congratulations to all of the selections. Here are the results for the 2023-24 season.

Matt Coldren-Wilson-Coach of the Year

Yadiel Cruz-Reading-Sr.-Player of the Year

Josh McKoy-Berks Catholic-Sr.

Kingston McKoy-Berks Catholic-So.

Kevin Saenz-Exeter-Sr.

Shermar Killen-Muhlenberg-Jr.

Nick Chapman-Reading-Sr.

Madyx Gruber-Wilson-Jr.

BCIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs

Paul Roberts — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 10:52:00 +0000

The bracket has been finalized for the Berks County boys basketball playoffs. The initial seeds, based on power ratings, were submitted at 1pm on Thursday. The coaches had until 3pm to challenge any seeds. No challenges were made.

The quarterfinals will take place on Monday, February 12th at the higher seeded school. All four games will begin at 7pm. The semifinals will be part of a quadruple-header at Santander Arena in Reading on Wednesday, February 14th. The championship game is at 8pm on Friday, February 16th at Santander Arena. Here are the quarterfinal matchups:

#8 Antietam at #1 Berks Catholic

#5 Exeter at #4 Wilson

#7 Schuylkill Valley at #2 Reading

#6 Muhlenberg at #3 Fleetwood