Berks Catholic didn’t look like a first place team in the opening half. Muhlenberg’s zone defense held the Saints to twelve points and just two in the second quarter. The Muhls were on top 13-10 after the first period and 23-12 at halftime. McKoy, a two-time All-State pick, was scoreless after 16 minutes. Berks Catholic began the third quarter with a 7-0 run. A three-point play by sophomore Josh Miller restored Muhlenberg’s margin to 30-23 with 1:05 to go in the third period. The Muhls were in front 30-25 with eight minutes on the clock. They missed seven free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime and ended up 15-of-23 from the stripe. The Saints went 13-of-19 from the foul line, including 8-of-10 in overtime.

After McKoy’s right-handed dunk, Harper made a layup and was fouled with 1:01 to play in regulation. He missed the free throw, but McKoy grabbed the offensive rebound and sank a pair of foul shots to pull Berks Catholic within 41-39. LJ Armstrong split two free throws with 50 seconds left. That allowed Harper to even the score at 42-42 with a 3-pointer that sent the fans into a frenzy.

McKoy, who poured in 40 points when these schools met on December 19th, started overtime with a jumper from the right elbow. He fed Gavin Welker for a layup and a 46-44 edge with 2:02 remaining. After Hemmings went 1-of-2 from the foul line, McKoy converted two free throws with 1:12 to go. Hemmings then misfired on a triple from the right wing. McKoy drained two more foul shots for a 50-45 lead with 54 seconds to play. Muhlenberg committed a turnover on its next possession and McKoy was fouled. This time he split his two attempts for a 51-45 advantage with 36 seconds on the clock. Oye “Junior” Guilavogui, the smallest player on the court, snuck in for an offensive rebound after McKoy’s missed free throw. McKoy was fouled again and went 2-for-2 from the line to extend the Saints’ cushion to 53-45.

Johnny Giesa chipped in with nine points as Berks Catholic won its ninth consecutive game. Each team made three 3-pointers. All of the Muhls’ treys came in the first quarter. Armstrong finished with a team-high 18 points. The junior point guard was 7-of-11 from the stripe. Nelson “Coco” Malave had 17 points, while Hemmings was limited to six. The 6’4 junior guard also had six points when Muhlenberg lost to Berks Catholic 69-55 last month. Hemmings is averaging 16.2 ppg. this season. Muhls’ coach Matt Flowers switched to a zone defense on Thursday. He also utilized a 2-2-1 trap. Esterly thought his team moved the ball a lot more effectively against the zone in the second half. “Night and day, I mean the second half we did a much better job and Kingston looked more aggressive too. He was trying to create. We gotta learn how to get that ball in the middle and cut baseline,” explained Esterly.

The Saints lead Division 1 by one and a-half games over Reading. The (14-5, 7-2) Red Knights visit Berks Catholic at 2pm on Saturday. Reading is on the road tonight versus Wilson. Meanwhile, the Saints have a non-league contest at York Country Day this evening. Esterly has been part of 1,085 games over 37 years as a head coach. This was win #855 of his career. He said it was in the top 10 as far as excitement level is concerned. “That was neat. When you get a full house like that, it’s crazy because you can’t hear. It’s what high school basketball should be,” replied Esterly.

LJ Armstrong tied his career-high with 19 points. The junior guard made two free throws with 33 seconds to go in overtime to extend the Muhls’ cushion to 61-56. Eight of Armstrong’s points came in the third quarter when Muhlenberg took a brief 34-33 advantage. “I said you are the igniter to this car. When you’re moving, everyone is moving with you. He took the key, he drove the car, and he got everyone involved,” noted Flowers. Nelson “Coco” Malave added nine points and Mike Miller Jr. chipped in with six. The Muhls improved to (10-3, 4-1), but struggled mightily at the foul line. They missed ten free throws in the fourth quarter and ended up 15-of-33. “We practice for 90 minutes [Tuesday], probably gonna be 60 minutes of free throws,” said Flowers with a smile.

Wilson was in front 11-9 after the opening quarter and 29-24 at halftime. Mike Glover came alive in the second period with ten points. Muhlenberg had no answer for the 6’3, 223-pound junior. Glover, a two-time All-State tight end, contributed nine points in the third quarter. The (9-4, 3-2) Bulldogs held a 42-38 edge entering the final eight minutes. Glover piled up a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. He was 8-for-10 from the stripe. “I told him when the game was over, ‘You’re a nightmare.’ He played a hell of a game. That kid works out all the time. Kudos to him and his family,” emphasized Flowers. Glover was averaging 8.3 ppg. coming into the week. Correll Akings had 16 points, including three of Wilson’s five 3-pointers. The Bulldogs went 12-of-17 from the foul line. They lost four starters and eight seniors from last year’s (24-7) team which captured its second straight BCIAA championship. The inexperience showed in the second half when Wilson committed 12 of its 18 turnovers.

Malave split two free throws with 5:47 to play to even the score at 44-44. Sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado and Akings responded with 3-pointers and the Bulldogs went on top 50-46 with three minutes left in regulation. Two buckets by sophomore guard Conner Moreland off the bench made it 54-48. Armstrong hit a key triple from the left corner to pull the Muhls within 54-52 with 54 seconds on the clock. After Glover connected on two foul shots, Hemmings had an opportunity for a three-point play with 39 seconds remaining. He missed the free throw, however, Muhlenberg tracked down the offensive rebound. Hemmings was fouled again and missed both foul shots with 33 seconds to go. Following a Wilson turnover, Hemmings was fouled yet again. This time he went 2-for-2 to even things up at 56-56 with 26 seconds to play. Akings got a clean look at a 3-pointer in the left corner before the buzzer, but he was off the mark.

Hemmings started overtime by driving down the lane and finishing with a layup. Malave made one free throw with 56 seconds remaining before the Bulldogs turned the ball over. Two foul shots by Armstrong put the Muhls in control at 61-56 with 33 seconds to go. Wilson was shut out in overtime until Akings sank a trey from the top of the key in the final seconds. Peter Kelfala and Moreland had five points apiece for the Bulldogs. Muhlenberg, which went (6-6) in league play last year, has road wins over Reading and Wilson on its resume. “Those two wins are huge, but it’s not the end of the season,” remarked Flowers.