Kingston – Berks Sports Report

Kingston McKoy-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 05:51:30 +0000

Kingston McKoy has scored 62 points in the first three games of the season, but it was his assist that helped Berks Catholic hold off Wilson on Monday night. McKoy was trapped in the corner with 30 seconds left when he threw a pass over the top of the Bulldogs’ defense. Zach Suski grabbed the ball just past half-court and went in for a twisting layup. Suski made the shot and drew a foul. His three-point play gave the Saints a 53-49 edge. They went on to beat Wilson 54-49 in West Lawn. “That closed the game for us in my opinion. I got buried down too deep in the corner. That one was on me. I should’ve stayed up a little higher…Thankfully, he converted. That was a great layup on his part,” said McKoy. After Suski’s bucket, Jon Etim missed a 3-pointer. Freshman Carmelo Harper then sank 1-of-2 from the foul line with 21 seconds remaining. Harper provided eleven points off the bench. “He’s gonna be great. I love his game. He’s got the pullup, the 3 down, and he can finish. He’s crafty. He can get a bucket whenever he wants,” emphasized McKoy. Gavin Welker, a transfer from Daniel Boone, got Berks Catholic off to an incredible start. The 6’2 junior forward scored all eight of his points in the first five and a-half minutes. “Gavin is a great addition. He does everything on the court. His rebounding is great and he can shoot the ball,” noted McKoy. The (3-0) Saints raced out to a 14-0 advantage. Correll Akings’ putback before the buzzer accounted for the Bulldogs only points in the opening period. Harper started the second quarter with a trey and Berks Catholic went on to build a 19-2 cushion. The Bulldogs trailed 29-16 at halftime. Wilson looked like a different team in the third quarter. The Bulldogs went on a 22-to-6 run. Correll Akings hit three straight triples to put Wilson in front for the first time at 38-35 with two and a-half minutes to go in the third period. The Saints bounced back and led 42-40 entering the fourth quarter. A layup by Luke Levan pulled the Bulldogs within 50-49. The 6’5 senior ended up with eight points. Suski’s breakaway bucket made it a two possession game. He had eight points. McKoy and Akings finished with 18 points apiece. McKoy was responsible for four of Berks Catholic’s seven 3-pointers. All five of Wilson’s long range field goals came in the third quarter. Madyx Gruber, an All-County selection, had 14 points. Wilson went just 8-of-15 from the free throw line, while the Saints were 5-of-9. The (2-1) Bulldogs were limited to nine points over the last eight minutes. Wilson senior guard Tommy McFadden and Berks Catholic junior guard Brady Altimar were back in action. McFadden had been out with an illness and Altimar was dealing with an ankle injury. McKoy, a third team All-State pick last season, loves facing tough competition. “Playing those games is what I live for. Those games are really fun. Moving up to Division 1, we’re gonna have a lot of those games. That’s what really makes a good basketball team,” replied McKoy.

Return of the King(ston)

Paul Roberts — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 20:40:00 +0000

The Berks Catholic boys basketball team received some good news over the weekend. Kingston McKoy was cleared to return to action at the “Bash at the Beach” tournament. McKoy played limited minutes for the Saints. The standout guard suffered a fractured tibia against Reading on January 23rd. Berks Catholic won the game, but lost McKoy for the rest of the season. He averaged 15 points in 14 games as a sophomore. The defensive guru was a third team All-State selection in Class 4A.

The “Bash at the Beach” event was moved indoors this year due to the extreme heat. The Saints defeated Whitehall, the host school, in the semifinals on Sunday evening. McKoy didn’t play in that matchup. He saw just two minutes of action in the championship game versus Parkland. Berks Catholic came up short in the final 40-33 on Sunday night.

All-State Team-Boys Basketball

Paul Roberts — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:09:00 +0000

Two high school basketball players from Berks County were selected to the PA Sports Writers’ All-State team. Reading’s Yadiel Cruz is a first team pick in Class 6A. Kingston McKoy of Berks Catholic was named to the third team in Class 4A.

After averaging 8.5 points as a junior, Cruz led the Berks Conference in scoring at 22 ppg. in the 2023-24 season. The 6’2 guard hit a team-high 48 triples for the Red Knights. He finished with 729 points as a senior, including a career-high 40 in a 71-62 victory over Harrisburg on January 13th. Cruz shot 54% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc, while averaging 7.2 rebounds. In just two years at Reading, he accumulated 1,010 points. Cruz was voted the Berks County Player of the Year in 2024. He also received the Dr. Richard Kleppinger Award from the Reading Berks Basketball Association. The Red Knights won 22 games and reached the state semifinals this season.

McKoy made the All-State squad despite playing in only 14 games. Unfortunately, his season came to an end on January 23rd when he suffered a fractured tibia against Reading. Berks Catholic rallied to win that game 61-59 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. McKoy poured in a career-high 29 points in a thrilling 77-73 overtime victory at Trinity in late December. The 6’2 sophomore guard averaged 15 points this year. He also provided elite defense. McKoy was voted to the All-County team as well. The (23-5) Saints advanced to the second round of the PIAA-4A playoffs.

Kingston McKoy Injury

Paul Roberts — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:43:00 +0000

Berks Catholic point guard Kingston McKoy underwent surgery for a fractured tibia on Wednesday morning. The promising 6’2 sophomore injured his left leg in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s game against Reading at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. McKoy’s leg was put in an aircast and he was taken to Reading Hospital.

The Saints trailed 47-37 with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter when McKoy went down awkwardly under the basket. Berks Catholic rallied to beat the Red Knights 61-59. Kingston’s older brother, Josh, had a go-ahead layup with six seconds left. The Saints remain undefeated at (14-0, 8-0). They’re on top of Division 2 in the Berks Conference.

Kingston McKoy entered the week averaging 16 points per game. He had five points before suffering the leg injury versus Reading. McKoy scored a career-high 29 points in a 77-73 overtime victory at Trinity on December 28th. He opened the season with 21 points in a 54-32 rout of Cedar Crest. McKoy was the sixth man a season ago when Berks Catholic went (23-5) and won the District 3-4A championship. He earned the reputation as an elite defender.

Longtime head coach Snip Esterly said recently, “Kingston is the No. 1 kid that gets everybody on the same wavelength. He’s an incredible leader.” Esterly noted that the sophomore made sure his teammates were attending their early morning workouts during the offseason. After the Saints won at Wilson 44-40 last Thursday, Josh McKoy remarked, “The sky’s the limit for him.”

Kingston McKoy-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:36:00 +0000

Berks Catholic freshman Kingston McKoy has another name for the Berks Conference playoffs. “This is our revenge tour, revenge tour all the way,” he said. Muhlenberg, Exeter, and Reading were the only teams to beat the Saints during the regular season. There’s a chance Berks Catholic will face all three of those squads this week. The (20-3) Saints took down sixth-seeded Muhlenberg 65-48 in the county quarterfinals on Monday. The Muhls knocked off Berks Catholic 48-46 one month ago in Laureldale. This matchup took place at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium because the Saints are the #3 seed. “Big difference, their student section is crazy over there. Muhlenberg [has] got some crazy fans,” remarked McKoy. The 6’1 guard finished with a season-high 18 points including twelve in the fourth quarter. McKoy, who’s known for his defensive skills, reached double figures for just the third time this season. He was 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final period. McKoy provided the Saints’ first ten points of the fourth quarter. Berks Catholic led 13-4 after eight minutes. Ryan Koch hit a pair of triples in the opening frame. The Pitt-Johnstown commit ended up with 18 points to increase his career total to 928. Koch, a 6’3 senior, made four of the Saints’ five 3-pointers. They were in front 24-7 with 2:45 remaining before halftime. The (14-9) Muhls went scoreless for four minutes and 22 seconds in the second period. McKoy’s putback with 0.2 seconds on the clock made it 29-14 at the break. His older brother, Josh, took over in the third quarter with nine points including a trey from the corner. The 6’2 junior forward had eleven points on the night. Foul trouble became an issue for both clubs in the third period. Dan Dan Mosquera and Mekhi Adonis each picked up their fourth fouls. Mosquera was limited to one point. The 5’9 senior guard was averaging nearly 14 ppg. JayJay Jordan was whistled for his fourth foul with 45 seconds to go in the third quarter. The all-county point guard managed just four points. Jordan is Berks Catholic’s all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points. He committed to Wilkes for football earlier in the day. The Saints held a 43-28 advantage entering the final period. They went 14-14 from the charity stripe over the last eight minutes. Berks Catholic was 18-21 overall from the free throw line while Muhlenberg went 8-13. The Muhls only connected from long range four times. They average eight 3-pointers per game. 5’11 senior Xzavion Robertson had a team-high eleven points. Eric Branch and Alex Collado chipped in with ten points apiece off the bench. Muhlenberg heads to the District 3 playoffs having dropped three of its last four contests. Meanwhile, the McKoy brothers are going to Santander Arena for the county semifinals. I asked Kingston McKoy what it’s like playing with his brother. “I love it…He’s my man. I love him to death,” he replied. We also talked about what happens when they go one-on-one. Kingston wasn’t bashful when it came to answering that question. The Saints will battle second-seeded Exeter at 6pm on Wednesday. #1 Reading meets #5 Wilson in the nightcap. The (22-1) Red Knights rolled over Schuylkill Valley 84-34 in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs rallied to get past Fleetwood 54-53.