The two-time Berks County Player of the Year led the Saints to their first BCIAA Championship since 2018 this season. They outlasted Reading 62-57 in overtime at Santander Arena. McKoy poured in 29 points in the county final.

He came up big once again in the District 3-4A Championship. McKoy erupted for 35 points in a 58-52 overtime victory against Bishop McDevitt. Berks Catholic claimed its second straight District 3 title.

McKoy finished his career with 1,679 points. He was also an elite defender. The Saints went (50-9) in his last two seasons.

Clarke is very familiar with the Berks County hoops scene. He was the men’s basketball head coach at Reading Area Community College from 2004-11. Clarke guided RACC to the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association championship during the 2005-06 season. He was an assistant on the Alvernia men’s basketball coaching staff in 2014-15.

Clarke played college basketball at Marist in New York and then the University of New Haven in Connecticut. During the mid-‘90s, he was an assistant boys basketball coach at three high schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Clarke served as the Director of Berks Red Storm, a youth basketball organization for girls, from 2016-20.

Muhlenberg’s girls basketball program has struggled in recent years. The Muhls finished (0-21) this past season. Only three of those games were decided by single digits. Kenleigh Brill was a bright spot this winter. The sophomore averaged a team-high 12.6 points and was an All-Division selection.

The girls senior All-Star Game wasn’t as close. The Red team prevailed 69-54. They were in front 39-28 at halftime. Wilson teammates Laila Jones and Laura Crocona combined for 27 points. Jones provided 15 points and connected three times from beyond the arc. Crocona, a Kutztown University commit, chipped in with a dozen points. They helped the Bulldogs claim BCIAA and District 3 championships this season. Elyssa Sellers from Schuylkill Valley had 14 points. Mekhira Gaskins of Reading ended up with a team-high 13 points for the Blue squad.

Best of luck to all of the seniors in their future endeavors. Today’s games put a wrap on the 2025-26 high school basketball season. I was fortunate to cover 60 games this year. Thanks to all of the coaches, players, and athletic directors for their assistance with my coverage.

Here are the first round matchups.

Boys:

Class 6A-Wilson at New Castle at 1pm on March 7th.

Class 5A-Exeter at Chartiers Valley at 6pm on March 6th.

Class 4A-Carver High School of Engineering and Science at Berks Catholic at 6pm on March 6th.

Schuylkill Valley at Scranton Prep at 7pm on March 6th.

Wyomissing at Archbishop Carroll at 7pm on March 6th.

Girls:

Class 6A-Conestoga at Wilson at 7pm on March 6th.

Gov. Mifflin at Canon-McMillan at 6pm on March 6th.

Harper, Kingston McKoy, Brady Altimar, and Gavin Welker each knocked down a 3-pointer to put Berks Catholic on top 16-0 after six minutes. Schuylkill Valley was scoreless until Zach Reeser hit a triple with a minute left in the opening quarter. Alex Aletras came off the Panthers’ bench and sank a trey from the left wing at the buzzer to make it 18-6. That shot ignited a 19-to-7 run for Schuylkill Valley. The (15-10) Panthers were making their second appearance in the District 3 semifinals and their first since 2004. They got hot from long range in the second quarter, drilling four 3-pointers. Aletras buried two more triples in that period. Reeser and Derek Grim also connected from downtown. The (24-2) Saints managed to stop the bleeding with the final five points of the half. McKoy found Johnny Giesa underneath the basket for a layup before the buzzer and a 30-22 advantage.

Welker made a trey from the left corner and then a layup to put Berks Catholic in front 39-25 with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter. The 6’3 senior forward finished with eight points. “He’s very important. He can shoot it,” noted Harper. Altimar drained another 3-pointer midway through the third period. After a turnover by Schuylkill Valley, Altimar fed McKoy for a layup and a 44-25 cushion. The Saints increased the margin to 50-26 entering the fourth quarter. Eight of McKoy’s 18 points came in the third period. The 6’4 senior guard is up to 1,625 career points. The Colgate commit was recently voted the BCIAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. “He’s a very poised player, he’s humble. Every practice, he’s pushing all of us. He just wants to win most importantly. He makes sure nobody is slacking,” explained Harper.

The Panthers were held to 13 points in the second half. All six of their 3-pointers came before halftime. “We were communicating more on defense. In the first half, we weren’t communicating so they were getting open 3s,” replied Harper. Aletras had a team-high eleven points and Reeser added ten. The junior guards combined for five triples. Berks Catholic made eight shots from beyond the arc. The Saints were 6-for-6 from the foul line, while Schuylkill Valley went 3-for-5. Harper provided 16 points. The 6’1 sophomore guard got off to a quick start with seven points in the first eight minutes. Giesa chipped in with eight points and Altimar had six.

These teams also met in the BCIAA quarterfinals with Berks Catholic prevailing 58-42. The Panthers will host Big Spring in the District 3-4A third place game on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Saints square off with #2 seed Bishop McDevitt in the championship on Friday at 7pm at Garden Spot. Berks Catholic is the defending champion. The Saints are searching for their seventh District 3 title. The Crusaders are looking for their fifth crown and first since 2019.

Altimar, who finished with seven points, said it was one of the best games that he’s ever played in. “It’s definitely top 5. Reading is always a tough team. They play good defense, they hustle, and they play hard. It was a great game,” replied Altimar. Esterly, who earned career win #862 over 37 years, agreed that this was an instant classic. “I’m not gonna say it was the best [BCIAA] Final ever, but it was a great game,” he emphasized. Altimar mentioned that most people have the wrong impression of Esterly. “Everyone thinks he’s just mean and yells, but he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He always asks how I’m doing. He’s probably the best coach I’ve ever had,” stated Altimar. Esterly has nine Berks Conference championships on his resume, including four with the Saints.

Both teams came out on fire. Kingston McKoy hit two triples in the opening quarter and Berks Catholic led 19-16 after eight action-packed minutes. Before the second quarter began, there was a delay to replace one of the nets. The scoring slowed down considerably in second period as the Red Knights built a 26-21 advantage. The Saints were held to two points until Oye “Junior” Guilavogui drained a trey from the left corner with six seconds to go. The senior guard had 16 points in the Saints’ 68-47 rout of Reading on January 31st at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. The Red Knights took their first meeting 48-40 at the Geigle Complex on December 29th.

McKoy started the second half with five quick points. His three-point play put Berks Catholic in front 29-26. The Colgate commit and two-time All-State pick poured in 29 points, including eleven in the third quarter. Carmelo Harper, a 6’1 sophomore guard, added 14 points. “He’s gonna be good. He’s frying everybody. It’s gonna be scary for the county next year,” remarked Altimar. Harper sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 32-28 with 6:27 to play in the third period. Reading responded and took a 33-32 lead on Raybin Rubio’s three-point play. The 6’1 sophomore guard was recently inserted into the starting lineup. The Saints answered with a 8-0 run. Guilavogui, who chipped in with eight points, and McKoy drilled shots from beyond the arc to give Berks Catholic a 40-33 cushion with 4:36 left in the third quarter. Weshly Rosario, the lone senior starter for the Red Knights, made a short jumper at the buzzer to even things up at 45-45. Rosario and sophomore Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones contributed twelve points apiece. Jamier Jacob had nine points, while Jostin DeCastro was limited to eight. The 6’3 junior guard came into Friday averaging 20.8 ppg.

McKoy opened the fourth quarter with a triple from the top of the key. He found Johnny Giesa for a layup and a 50-47 edge with just over six minutes remaining. McKoy went 2-for-2 from the stripe with 3:24 to go. Reading trailed 54-48 before scoring the next six points. DeCastro split a pair of foul shots with 1:24 on the clock to tie it at 54-54. The Red Knights missed five free throws in the fourth quarter. They were 12-for-19 overall, while the Saints knocked down eight of their nine attempts.

Berks Catholic held the ball for one final shot. McKoy drove down the right side of the lane with five seconds to play. Rosario got a piece of the ball as McKoy was going up and his layup rolled off the rim. In overtime, Jones buried a trey from the right wing with 2:49 on the clock. That was Reading’s only 3-pointer all night. It would also be the last time they scored. Altimar responded thirty seconds later with a long range strike of his own. “Kingston and all my teammates were telling me to keep shooting it, shoot it with confidence. I got open in the corner and let it fly,” he said. It was the tenth 3-pointer for the Saints who played without 6’3 senior forward Gavin Welker for the second straight game due to a school-related issue. Altimar’s clutch free throws made it 59-57. After sophomore Javon Merriweather misfired on a triple from the top of the key, McKoy went 2-for-2 from the stripe with thirty seconds left. The Red Knights were down 61-57 when they committed a turnover with 16 seconds remaining. McKoy split a couple of foul shots for the final margin. The Colgate commit is up to 1,583 career points.

Berks Catholic outscored Reading 8-to-3 in overtime. Both teams did a terrific job of taking care of the basketball. There were only 15 combined turnovers and just seven by the Saints. This heavyweight battle lived up to the hype.

The Red Knights will face #12 seed York High on Tuesday at 7pm at the Geigle Complex in the first round of the District 3-6A playoffs. The Saints don’t play again until Friday, February 20th. They host #8 seed Eastern York at 6pm in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. Berks Catholic blew out Eastern York 67-44 in the District 3-4A Championship last year. It was the sixth District 3 crown for the Saints. Altimar is confident that they will have a long postseason run. “We’re gonna win District’s. We’re gonna go far in State’s too,” he stated.

Crocona, who’s headed to Kutztown University, helped Wilson get off to a fast start. Two of her three 3-pointers came in the opening quarter. “I’ve obviously had some ups and downs with shooting this year, but tonight my shot felt really good. It felt good to see them go in,” said Crocona. The (13-11) Red Knights fell behind 19-10 after eight minutes. The Bulldogs began the second quarter with six straight points. The defending county champions were limited to five points in that period when they committed eight turnovers. Wilson was on top 29-15 at halftime and 42-25 entering the fourth quarter.

JilliAnn Laws, a 5’11 senior forward, made a layup with 2:23 left to pull Reading within 46-34. Following a bucket by Wilson’s Violet Houck, Xiani Beatty nailed a triple to make it 48-37 with 1:15 remaining. Junior guard Ryan Leaman converted three of four foul shots to seal it. The North Carolina lacrosse commit finished with a dozen points. Kailani Hardy added eleven points and Houck had six. Hardy, a 5’10 junior guard, picked up an offer from La Salle late last month. Houck is committed to Jacksonville University for track and field. “We’re a really close group. We hang out all the time. It’s so nice to know that if someone is not having their best day, other people have each other to pick each other up,” remarked Crocona.

The Bulldogs are back at full strength this season with the return of Laila Jones. The 5’8 point guard missed the 2024-25 campaign due to a torn ACL. Jones is a two-time All-County selection and a 1,000-point scorer. “She’s so talented, she’s a great teammate. Having her back has been so big this year. We really missed her last year,” said Crocona. Jones recently committed to Penn State Harrisburg. She’s averaging 12 ppg. this season as part of a balanced attack.

Wilson went 9-of-16 from the stripe, while the Red Knights were just 1-for-6. Each team connected four times from beyond the arc. Crocona is second on her squad with 31 3-pointers. She was an all-division field hockey player in the fall. Crocona also excels in the classroom with a lofty 4.25 GPA. Her older brother, Nick, played football, baseball and basketball during his high school days in West Lawn.

The talented Bulldogs spent very little time celebrating after beating Reading. Their focus is on winning their first county title in twelve years. “We know that our job is not done…We know that Exeter is gonna come to play,” stated Crocona.

Wilson was in front 11-5 early, but Exeter ended the opening quarter on a 7-0 run. Jackson Kozik, a transfer from Berks Catholic, came off the bench and drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Eagles a 12-11 edge after eight minutes. The quarterfinal matchup remained tight the rest of the way. It was even 21-21 at halftime.

Sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado made a short jumper and then found Mike Glover for a layup to give the fourth-seeded Bulldogs a 25-21 advantage early in the third period. Glover and Braylon Reinert, two standout football players, battled all night in the low post. They’re both 6’3, 225-pound juniors. Peter Kelfala hit a triple in front of Wilson’s bench to make it 34-34 after the third quarter. The 6’3 senior forward ended up with a team-high 16 points. Kelfala was responsible for two of the Bulldogs’ three treys.

Exeter was scoreless for the first two minutes and 41 seconds of the fourth quarter, but Wilson couldn’t get any separation. Jayden Ware converted a difficult spinning shot to tie it 37-37 with four minutes remaining. A layup by Dauble put the Eagles on top 39-37 with two minutes to go. After an illegal screen was called against the Bulldogs, Kozik grabbed an offensive rebound and put it home for a 41-37 lead. Mercado then split a pair of free throws. He missed his second attempt, however, Kelfala pulled down the rebound and was fouled with 1:01 on the clock. He also went 1-for-2 at the stripe. Exeter committed a turnover with a 41-39 lead and twenty seconds left. Kelfala drove from the top of the key to the basket and scored with nine seconds to play. That set the stage for Dauble’s heroics. The 6’3, 215-pound senior used a crossover to get into the lane and finished through some contact. Dauble reached 1,000 career points on January 20th against Daniel Boone. He’s committed to Shippensburg for football. The officials put one second back on the clock. Correll Akings missed a heave from half-court which led to a celebration by the Eagles. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Gov. Mifflin a season ago.

Reinert chipped in with eleven points, including eight in the first half. “He did a great job defensively. He protected the rim for us and then obviously he finished. I don’t even know if he missed a shot. He’s our X-factor. When he plays like that, we’re hard to beat,” remarked VanGorder. Wilson was limited to two field goals in the fourth quarter. Akings, an All-County selection last year, managed just four points. The 5’9 guard is the lone returning starter for the Bulldogs. Akings has 963 career points and recently committed to Shippensburg for football. He was guarded by Ware, a 6’1 senior and All-State defensive back. “Usually when playoff time comes around, Jayden Ware shows up. Jayden is such a competitor and he accepts the challenge of playing a great player like Correll,” said VanGorder.

Glover provided ten points and Mercado chipped in with eight. Wilson struggled at the foul line, going 4-of-9. Exeter was 5-for-8 at the stripe. Dylan Donate had six points and Kozik added five. They’re part of an Eagles’ roster that has nine seniors. “I’m so happy for them. I’m glad that they get to go play at the arena…Those guys are so close, really a huge part of the Exeter community,” emphasized VanGorder. They gained valuable experience last year by reaching the District 3-5A championship before falling to Hershey at the Giant Center.

Berks Catholic, Muhlenberg, and Reading are also moving on to Santander Arena on Wednesday. The top-seeded Saints got 29 points from Kingston McKoy in a 58-42 win over Schuylkill Valley in the quarterfinals. The (14-9) Panthers were within two points midway through the third quarter. The second-seeded Muhls needed a 3-pointer from Nelson “Coco” Malave at the buzzer to get past Wyomissing 60-57 in Laureldale. The third-seeded Red Knights blew out Antietam 69-43 at the Geigle Complex. Jostin DeCastro and Weshly Rosario finished with 14 points apiece.

A semifinal quadruple is set for Wednesday. The Gov. Mifflin girls face Exeter at 4pm. That will be followed by the Exeter boys versus Berks Catholic. The Wilson girls square off with Reading at 7pm. The nightcap is scheduled for 8:30pm and features rivals Reading and Muhlenberg. The (17-6) Red Knights and (16-6) Muhls split two games during the regular season.

The Berks County semifinals are set for Wednesday, February 11th at Santander Arena in Reading. The championship games will be held there on Friday, February 13th. The boys final is scheduled to tip at 8pm. Here are the quarterfinal matchups on Monday.

#8 Schuylkill Valley at #1 Berks Catholic-6:30pm

#5 Exeter at #4 Wilson-7pm

#7 Wyomissing at #2 Muhlenberg-7pm

#6 Antietam at #3 Reading-7pm

Cedar Crest dropped its fourth consecutive game. The (12-10) Falcons were without their leading scorer and top perimeter threat. Elli Malinoski, a 5’10 sophomore, didn’t play due to a left leg injury. She’s averaging 13.6 points and has hit 37 triples this year. Head coach Ashli Shay is hopeful that Malinoski will return on Monday for the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs.

Cedar Crest got an unexpected boost off its bench. Paige Vandett made three 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Falcons built a 27-17 advantage. The 5’6 sophomore contributed a dozen points, all from beyond the arc. Vandett entered the game with seven points in the entire season. Cedar Crest drained nine treys against Gov. Mifflin’s zone defense. Ryan Stopper, a 5’7 sophomore, connected three times from beyond the arc. She chipped in with ten points. Colgate commit Kaila Francis had a team-high 17 points. The 6’1 senior center reached 1,000 career points by sinking a free throw with 2:25 left in the third quarter. It was even at 40-40 with eight minutes remaining.

The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run over the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Case knocked down a long jumper in between layups by Brooklyn George and Martin. The Falcons were limited to two points for nearly seven minutes in the final period. “We knew we had to front the middle. We forced a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter,” noted Super. Eight of Cedar Crest’s 21 turnovers came in the last quarter. A 3-pointer by sophomore Ali Groff made it 49-47 with 49 seconds to go. Martin then split a pair of free throws. She missed her second attempt, but Saray Renninger grabbed a critical offensive rebound. Super was fouled with 43 seconds on the clock and went 2-for-2 from the stripe. After a turnover by the Falcons, Super converted one of her two foul shots for a 53-47 cushion with 34 seconds left. George came up with a steal with 20 seconds to play.

Gov. Mifflin ended up 22-of-29 from the free throw line, while Cedar Crest was 4-for-8. Super made seven of her eight attempts and Martin was 9-for-15. Renninger, a 5’10 sophomore, was perfect on her six foul shots. Super was responsible for three of the Mustangs’ five 3-pointers. They outscored the Falcons 31-to-20 in the second half.

Gov. Mifflin is the #2 seed in the BCIAA playoffs. The Mustangs host seventh-seeded Oley Valley at noon on Saturday. The winner heads to Santander Arena in Reading for the Berks County semifinals on Wednesday. “Our goal is to get there every year. That’s what we look forward to. That’s really exciting,” emphasized Super. Gov. Mifflin has claimed a record 14 Berks League championships. Wilson is the #1 seed in this year’s tournament. The (20-2) Bulldogs went undefeated in league play. “Wilson is a talented team. We have to focus on crashing the boards. We don’t have a deep bench so we have to really work on our stamina and keeping up with their speed. They’re a really fast team,” acknowledged Super. The 5’7 junior is already up to 1,217 points. Super can score in a variety of ways, but the half-court shot on Wednesday was the first of her career.