Gavin Welker – Berks Sports Report https://berkssportsreport.com Paul Roberts Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:15:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Gavin Welker-Berks Catholic https://berkssportsreport.com/gavin-welker-berks-catholic-2/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:14:13 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=5374 Kingston McKoy put an exclamation point on Berks Catholic’s 50-38 win at Wilson with a thunderous one-handed dunk. “It was electric. I’ve never seen something like that,” emphasized Gavin Welker. In the first quarter, however, it was Welker who stole the show with seven points in eight minutes. The 6’3 senior forward provided 13 of the Saints’ 24 points at halftime. Welker, who entered Monday averaging 5.2 points, knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening half. “I like to get into a rhythm. Once I hit my first one, I knew I was gonna look for my shot more. It just kept going in,” explained Welker.

Berks Catholic was on top 12-11 after a quarter and 24-21 at halftime. Welker hit a triple from the left wing early in the second quarter to give the Saints a 17-11 advantage. They opened the third period with a 8-0 run. Brady Altimar and Carmelo Harper drilled back-to-back 3-pointers. McKoy drove end to end for a layup which extended Berks Catholic’s lead to 38-25. The (11-6, 5-3) Bulldogs were outscored 15-to-7 in the third quarter. They managed just 17 points in the second half. Wilson struggled offensively when these teams met back on December 8th. The Saints prevailed in their first meeting 38-28 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium.

Correll Akings sank a trey from the top of the key with 4:50 remaining. The All-County guard brought the Bulldogs within 43-34, but they were held to four points the rest of the way. Wilson graduated eight seniors and four starters from last year’s (24-7) squad. Meanwhile, Berks Catholic returned a two-time All-State selection in McKoy. The 6’4 senior guard scored eight points in the third quarter and seven more in the fourth. Although he didn’t shoot well from long range, the Colgate commit finished with a game-high 22 points. “He’s a great player, a great teammate. He does everything right. There’s nothing more I can say about him,” said Welker. McKoy, the reigning Berks County Player of the Year, went 8-for-9 from the foul line. Welker ended up with 13 points. Harper and Johnny Giesa added six points apiece.

The (12-2, 7-1) Saints extended their winning streak to six games. They connected five times from beyond the arc, while Wilson only made two 3-pointers. Akings led the Bulldogs with 18 points, including eight in the final quarter. Peter Kelfala chipped in with nine points and Mike Glover had eight. Wilson was 10-of-14 from the stripe. The Bulldogs have lost four of their last six contests. Berks Catholic went 9-for-11 from the free throw line. The Saints are a-half game ahead of Muhlenberg for first place in the division. Reading is in third place with a (6-2) league record. “It means a lot to get a road win in a Division 1 game,” noted Welker.

]]> Gavin Welker-Berks Catholic https://berkssportsreport.com/gavin-welker-berks-catholic/ Tue, 28 Jan 2025 14:52:52 +0000 https://berkssportsreport.com/?p=4709 Every basketball player wants their coach to give them the green light to shoot. In Gavin Welker’s case, he didn’t have a choice. “Snip was yelling at me. He wanted me to shoot the ball earlier in the game and he took me out for it. When I went back in, I knew I had to shoot and they were falling,” said Welker. With Berks Catholic trailing Reading 22-9 in the second quarter, Welker made four 3-pointers in a row. The 6’2 junior banked in his last triple high off the glass. “I’ll take it. It went in,” he replied with a smile. The Saints held off the Red Knights 62-59 on Monday night at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Welker connected five times from beyond the arc and finished with a season-high 19 points. This is his first year playing for longtime coach Snip Esterly after transferring from Daniel Boone. “He’s hard on me, but I like it. He pushes me every day. He’s giving me more confidence on the court, making me better,” explained Welker. Esterly has piled up 829 victories, 8 BCIAA championships, and 14 District 3 titles over 36 seasons. He also led Central Catholic to a state championship in 2007. Berks Catholic fell behind Reading 16-6 in the first quarter. The Red Knights didn’t allow a point for four minutes and fifteen seconds. Welker scored all twelve of the Saints’ points in the second period. They were down 26-21 at halftime and All-State guard Kingston McKoy was scoreless. McKoy came alive in the third quarter with a dozen of his sixteen points. The 6’2 junior had two of Berks Catholic’s ten treys. Zach Suski banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key before the buzzer. “Clutch, it was awesome,” said Welker. Suski, who had 14 points, was fouled on the shot. He missed the free throw, but still gave the Saints a 44-35 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. A three-point play by Jackson Kozik made it 51-41 with 4:48 left. Kozik, a 6’ junior forward, made a pair of foul shots with 1:34 remaining to give Berks Catholic a 57-50 cushion. “He’s getting better and better. He’s contributing more every game. It’s huge for him to step up like that,” noted Welker. Kozik, who averages 3 ppg., provided ten points including a layup with 34 seconds to go. That bucket came after sophomore Jostin DeCastro’s layup pulled Reading within 57-54. Welker split a pair of free throws with 24 seconds to play for a 60-54 lead. On the ensuing possession, Weshly Rosario missed a triple from the top of the key. Kahlil Samuel splashed a 3-pointer as time expired, but the Red Knights’ four-game winning streak came to an end. Samuel had a team-high 17 points. DeCastro added twelve points and Rosario chipped in with eleven. Reading was 8-of-9 from the foul line, but made just two 3-pointers before the buzzer-beater by Samuel. The (14-3, 8-2) Saints extended their winning streak to six. They went 10-of-14 from the charity stripe. The Red Knights fell to (8-11, 4-5) and are in danger of missing the Berks County playoffs for the first time since 1997. They have three games remaining. Reading travels to Division 2 champion Exeter on Wednesday before hosting Wilson and Gov. Mifflin. Berks Catholic has a-half game edge over the Bulldogs atop a rugged Division 1. “Every game is competitive. We don’t really have a break. We gotta come out every game with intensity,” emphasized Welker.

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