Wilson visits District 7 runner-up New Castle on Saturday at 1pm. The (17-10) Bulldogs are in the state bracket for the fifth time in the past eight years. They defeated Cedar Crest 48-36 to finish seventh in the District 3-6A field. Shippensburg football commit Correll Akings is averaging a team-high 11.5 points per game. The 5’9 guard is the only returning starter for Wilson. He reached 1,000 career points in a 50-45 loss at Red Lion in the District 3 quarterfinals. The (23-2) Hurricanes fell 52-51 to Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL Championship. Their only other loss was by two points against Pine-Richland on January 30th. “They’re probably the most well-rounded team that we have faced this season. They can play fast and be effective. They can also be effective in the half-court. When you have three guys that can score from all three levels, it makes them extremely hard to defend. We’re looking forward to the challenge,” replied Bulldogs’ coach Matt Coldren. He added that freshman Marino Graham is the best point guard that he’s seen this year. Graham is also the starting quarterback at New Castle. He threw for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns during the fall. Graham ran for another 856 yards and 11 TD.

Exeter is making its fifth consecutive trip to the PIAA tournament. The (18-10) Eagles earned the ninth and final berth from District 3. They won elimination games versus ELCO, Greencastle-Antrim, and Red Land. Aidan Dauble, a 1,000-point scorer and Shippensburg football commit, leads Exeter at 14.6 ppg. The 6’3, 215-pound senior is also an excellent rebounder. The Eagles have a balanced attack with Dylan Donate, Jayden Ware, and Braylon Reinert each providing 10-to-12 points a night. They head west to battle District 7-5A champion Chartiers Valley on Friday at 6pm. The (23-2) Colts ran over Thomas Jefferson 63-37 in the WPIAL Final. Luca Federico, a lean 6’5 sophomore, exploded for 31 points and eight boards. Moon and Fox Chapel are the only teams to beat Chartiers Valley this season. “Chartiers Valley is a very good, well-coached team. They have five guys in the lineup who can all shoot it and play hard defensively. We also have veteran players who have not only played in, but won games in the state tournament. I know they’re excited about the opportunity to compete against another good program on the western side of Pennsylvania,” noted Exeter coach Jeff VanGorder.

Wyomissing has advanced to the state playoffs for the first time since 2011. The (16-10) Spartans cruised by Oley Valley 67-44 in an elimination contest last week. Wyomissing ended up in fifth place in the District 3-4A tournament. Point guard Dom Arguelles is putting up 17.8 ppg. this year. The All-County selection loves to attack the basket. Sophomore Brady Eisenhower gives the Spartans a threat from beyond the arc. He’s connected 36 times from long range. Daniel Moyer, a 6’ senior forward, is averaging 13.3 points. Wyomissing travels to Radnor on Friday to take on Archbishop Carroll from the mighty Philadelphia Catholic League. They will get underway at 7pm. Don’t be fooled by the Patriots’ record of (14-10). They’ve faced an extremely challenging schedule. “They’re a very good team from one of the top leagues in the state. We look forward to playing them,” stated Spartans’ second-year coach Konlan Krick. Archbishop Carroll knocked off PCL champion Father Judge, Neumann-Goretti, and Bonner-Prendergast in January. Father Judge won the PIAA-6A title a season ago. Neumann-Goretti has claimed ten state crowns in its history. The Patriots had three players named to the second team in the PCL this year in Nasir Ralls, Ian Williams, and sophomore Yasir Turner.

Schuylkill Valley is making its third appearance in the state bracket. Despite losing its top three scorers to graduation, the (16-10) Panthers reached the District 3-4A semifinals for the first time in 22 years. They took third place with a 60-52 victory over Big Spring. Schuylkill Valley has a balanced squad with no one averaging more than 11 points per game. Josiah Urbaez and Alex Aletras have been sparks off the bench. Logan Cammauf, an All-State linebacker, provides some muscle and 10 ppg. The Panthers hit the road on Friday to square off with Scranton Prep at 7pm. The (20-5) Cavaliers took down Dallas 68-52 in the District 2-4A Championship. Sophomore guard Chicky Skoff poured in 28 points and hit three triples. Scranton Prep brought home its eighth District title since 2017. The Cavaliers allowed just 14 points in the second half. “Prep has multiple guards who can shoot consistently from the perimeter and score putting the ball on the floor. Their defensive ball pressure causes turnovers and they’re really strong scoring in transition,” explained Schuylkill Valley coach Taylor Grim. The Cavaliers dropped a nailbiter to Berks Catholic 51-47 in the second round of last year’s PIAA-4A tournament.

Speaking of Berks Catholic, the Saints meet a familiar foe at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium on Friday at 6pm. They battle Carver High School of Engineering & Science from Philadelphia. Berks Catholic beat the Engineers 53-49 in its season opener at the CoBL Winter Showcase at Exeter. The Saints trailed by five points at halftime. Kingston McKoy took over with 28 points and four 3-pointers. Fareed Brown had a team-high 17 points for Carver E&S. The 5’9 senior averages nearly 14 points and 4 assists. Matt McField (13 ppg.) and Billy Henighan (12 ppg.) are also capable scorers for the Engineers. Carver E&S forfeited its Public League quarterfinal against Constitution due to an altercation. The (20-6) Engineers were up twelve points with one minute remaining when one of their players was pushed. His teammates left the bench and fans came on the court. Carver E&S was ruled eligible for the PIAA tournament and was given the fifth and final seed in District 12-4A. Meanwhile, Berks Catholic outlasted Reading and then Bishop McDevitt in the BCIAA and District 3-4A Finals. Both of those instant classics went to overtime. “I think it builds so much confidence in these guys. We never think we’re out of it,” remarked longtime coach Snip Esterly. He’s (52-30) all-time in the PIAA playoffs. Esterly has 865 career victories over 37 years. The Saints lost to Devon Prep 55-39 in the state championship game a season ago. Berks Catholic is making its 12th appearance in the PIAA tournament.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-2 advantage and led 10-6 after the opening quarter. Akings hit a triple from the right wing to extend the margin to 31-18 with a minute left before halftime. Nehemiah McClean provided Wilson with a boost in the second quarter. The 6’2 senior forward drilled a pair of treys and scored eight points. “He’s very athletic, super athletic to be honest with you. He can make shots for us. I just don’t know all the time if his confidence is there,” noted Coldren. The (13-6, 7-3) Bulldogs were on top 31-21 at the break. They connected five times from beyond the arc in the first half.

The (8-10, 2-8) Mustangs didn’t go away quietly. They started the third quarter with an 11-to-2 run. Akings responded with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with two minutes remaining in the period. He was fouled on the shot and missed the free throw, but 6’4 sophomore Gabe Nyembo put home the offensive rebound for a 38-32 edge. Gov. Mifflin trailed 38-34 going into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs have struggled offensively all season, averaging 47 points per night.

Nick Kalis, a 5’11 senior, splashed a triple from the top of the key to tie it at 39-39 with seven minutes to go. Gov. Mifflin went scoreless for the next five minutes. Akings buried another shot from long range to make it 46-39 with 2:33 to play. John Lachina and his brother Mark answered with 3-pointers to pull the Mustangs within 48-45 with 1:26 left. A layup by Lebron Leaf got them even closer at 50-48 with 43 seconds to go. Wilson sealed the deal by scoring seven of the final nine points. Jayden Lockhart, Nechar Mercado, and Akings went 6-for-6 from the stripe down the stretch. Mike Glover split a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left to put the Bulldogs in front 55-50. He missed his second attempt, but Akings grabbed the offensive rebound to give Wilson an extra possession.

The Bulldogs were 20-of-28 from the foul line, while Gov. Mifflin went 12-of-20. Mercado, a sophomore point guard, chipped in with 13 points. “He’s coming along, he’s super tough for us. Defensively, he can be a nuisance with guys bringing the ball up. He’s got a real bright future for us,” remarked Coldren. Mercado jammed eight points into the final quarter and converted all six of his free throws. Peter Kelfala added nine points, all in the first half. Ian Fleming had a team-high 12 points for the Mustangs. He’s the only starter back from a squad that won 20 games last year and reached the state playoffs for the first time in program history. Leaf, the quarterback of the football team, contributed ten points. Mark Lachina came off the bench and hit three of Gov. Mifflin’s six treys. John Lachina and Kalis contributed eight points apiece. The Mustangs committed just six turnovers. They’ve dropped four of their last five games.

Meanwhile, Coldren earned his 445th victory over 25 years at the helm in West Lawn. He knows his team must be more focused with the challenges that lie ahead. “I’m a little disappointed and so are the kids. We have two big games with Reading and Muhlenberg coming up and the effort that we gave tonight is not gonna suffice when we play those two teams,” said Coldren. Wilson hosts the (14-5, 7-2) Red Knights on Friday.

The (1-5) Mustangs had pulled within 39-37 entering the final quarter. Neither team scored for two minutes. Glover knocked down a pair of free throws before Correll Akings found him underneath for a three-point play. Glover got another layup off an assist from Akings with 4:33 left which forced a timeout by second-year head coach Garrett Etzel. Nick Kalis sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 46-40. That was the lone field goal for Gov. Mifflin in the fourth period. “In the first three quarters, we kind of over helped and we left some shooters open. We talked about stunting a little bit more as opposed to leaving our guys. I still think we gotta get better defensively,” explained Coldren. He’s in his 25th season at the helm and holds the school record with 436 victories. Glover provided another three-point play with three minutes to go that gave Wilson a 50-40 advantage. The Mustangs were outscored 16-to-7 over the last six minutes.

The Bulldogs came out hot. They hit four triples in the opening quarter and were 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first half. Wilson was in front 14-11 after the first period and started the second quarter with a 8-to-2 run. A layup by sophomore guard Nechar Mercado put the Bulldogs on top 22-13 midway through the second period. Conner Moreland, another sophomore guard, came off the bench and drilled two treys in the first half. Wilson got 13 points overall from its reserves. Gov. Mifflin trailed 28-22 at the break. John Lachina made his third 3-pointer of the third quarter to bring the Mustangs within 37-35. The 5’9 senior had connected a total of five times from long range in their first five games. Lachina finished with a career-high 15 points. Ian Fleming and Lebron Leaf chipped in with seven points apiece. Kelfala had 17 points in the first three quarters for the Bulldogs, including a trio of 3-pointers. He’s averaging a team-high 12.5 ppg. this year.

After advancing to the second round of the PIAA-6A tournament a season ago, Wilson and Gov. Mifflin each lost four starters to graduation. The Mustangs have faced a very difficult schedule. Their five losses have come against opponents who were (20-4) going into Tuesday. The Bulldogs only setbacks have come against Central Dauphin and Berks Catholic. Wilson went 7-of-18 from long range against Gov. Mifflin and 12-for-15 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs hit four triples and were 14-of-18 from the foul line.

Glover was recently named the Outstanding Lineman of the Year in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He had 35 catches for 572 yards and 7 TD as the Bulldogs went (9-3). Glover made 44 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three sacks at defensive end. “I love being able to compete with my guys. I think the physicality of football translates to basketball, working in the post and rebounding,” he said. Coldren added, “I’d actually like him to be a little bit more selfish. I don’t think as a coaching staff we’ve done a good job of getting him the ball. We need to work on that because we need him to get some more touches.” Glover got the ball in crunch time against Gov. Mifflin and made the most of his opportunities.