Muhlenberg defeated Fleetwood 9-5 in Laureldale. Cole Moody went 3-for-3. He scored two runs and drove in another. Mike Canfield provided two of the Muhls’ twelve hits. The sophomore ended up with 4 RBI.

Exeter blew out Twin Valley 16-6 in five innings. The Eagles erupted for ten runs in the fourth. They piled up 17 hits. Jake Hafer was 4-for-4 with three runs. Jake Franek and Brandon Weller added three hits apiece.

Reading shut out Conrad Weiser 7-0. The (4-5) Red Knights look for their third straight win tonight. They face Harrisburg at FirstEnergy Stadium at 6pm.

Brandywine Heights beat Hamburg 10-6. A couple of sophomores had big games for the Bullets. Jaxton Henry racked up four hits and scored twice. John Miltenberger contributed three hits and knocked in three runs. Ethan Bollinger hurled a complete game. All six of the runs that he gave up were unearned.

Kutztown took down Tulpehocken 14-4 in five innings. The Cougars got off to a fast start with six runs in the first inning. Kaden Kerecz went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. Zane Cherrie also drove in three runs.

Schuylkill Valley got past Antietam 6-4. Alex Aletras limited the Mounts to one run on one hit over 4.2 innings. Derek Grim had two hits and two runs.

Oley Valley doubled up Wyomissing 6-3. You can read the full story on my website, along with an interview with southpaw Timmy Fries.

Berks Catholic won its first county title since 2018. The Saints went on to capture their seventh District 3 crown and second in a row at Class 4A. Snip Esterly will enter next season with 865 career victories.

Reading was the runner-up in the BCIAA tournament after falling to Berks Catholic 62-57 in overtime at Santander Arena. Jostin DeCastro, Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones, Javon Merriweather, Jamier Jacob, and Raybin Rubio will all be back for Rick Perez.

Exeter knocked off Wilson 43-41 in the Berks County quarterfinals thanks to Aidan Dauble’s bucket with one second left. The Eagles qualified for the PIAA field for the fifth consecutive year.

The Bulldogs advanced to the state playoffs for the fifth time in the past eight seasons. Wilson has a talented group of sophomores to keep an eye on. Matt Coldren holds the school record with 449 wins.

A promising season in Laureldale ended in a flash. The Muhls dropped a nailbiter to rival Reading 60-57 in the BCIAA semifinals. Muhlenberg was eliminated in the first round of the District 3-6A bracket by #13 seed Cedar Crest. The Falcons stunned the Muhls 66-60 in overtime. The good news is that Eli Hemmings, LJ Armstrong, and Nelson “Coco” Malave will return.

Schuylkill Valley defeated Wyomissing 63-52 to reach the District 3 semifinals for just the second time. The Panthers made their third appearance in the PIAA tournament.

Antietam finished on top of the Division 4 standings. The Mounts blew out Wyomissing 61-40 in a key crossover matchup on January 8th. Antietam’s season ended with a 87-71 loss to Lancaster Catholic in the District 3-3A third place game.

The Spartans overcame some midseason turmoil to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2011. Second-year head coach Konlan Krick deserves credit for keeping his troops together after two starters quit. Wyomissing took fifth place in the District 3-4A field.

Gov. Mifflin receives an honorable mention. The (10-12) Mustangs didn’t have a single bad loss on their resume. Life in Division 1 of the BCIAA is no picnic.

Without further ado, here is the final edition of the “Roberts Rankings” for the Berks Conference. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

“The Great 8”

1.Berks Catholic (25-3)

2.Reading (18-8)

3.Exeter (18-11)

4.Wilson (17-11)

5.Muhlenberg (16-8)

6. Schuylkill Valley (16-11)

7.Antietam (16-9)

8.Wyomissing (16-11)

The Red Knights won at York 70-60 back on December 6th. The Bearcats came out with a much more aggressive mentality this time around. They pounded the offensive glass and held Reading scoreless for three minutes and fifteen seconds. A 3-pointer by Sincere Burgos made it 7-0 after two minutes. Justin Brown came off the bench and hit a triple from the left corner with five seconds left in the opening quarter. The Red Knights trailed 22-10 after eight minutes and point guard Weshly Rosario had picked up a pair of fouls. He’s the lone senior in Reading’s starting lineup. Meanwhile, six different players scored for York in the first quarter.

The Bearcats began the second period with a pivotal 16-to-6 run. Nasir Barnes made three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc with five and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. The 6’1 junior point guard was just getting warmed up. He piled up 33 points and nine assists. Barnes is already the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,614 career points. The smooth southpaw splashed a trey midway through the second quarter to give York a 33-16 advantage. A three-point play by Brown increased the margin to 38-16 with three minutes to go before halftime. The Red Knights closed out the half on a 13-to-2 run to finally gain some momentum. Javon Merriweather nailed a triple and Jostin DeCastro provided two three-point plays. DeCastro finished with a team-high 20 points before fouling out with 2:35 left. The 6’3 junior guard squeezed ten points into the third quarter. Reading was behind 40-29 at halftime.

A three-point play by Barnes put York in front 50-33 with 3:40 to play in the third period. The Red Knights responded with eight straight points. “A well-coached team, a lot of talented players, and we know Reading is gonna be tough and physical,” acknowledged Glover. The Bearcats maintained a 61-47 edge entering the fourth quarter. They missed their first four foul shots to start the period. Merriweather connected from long range to pull the Red Knights within 74-64 with 2:40 remaining. The 6’2 sophomore drained another trey from the left wing to make it 78-69 with two minutes on the clock. However, York sealed the deal with the final seven points including a 3-pointer from Barnes. He poured in 13 points over the last eight minutes. “Everyone knows he can score the basketball. I’ve challenged him to not just be the best scorer in District 3, be the best player. Be a leader, get other guys involved, and make sure we control the tempo,” remarked Glover.

When Barnes wasn’t scoring, he was getting into the lane and finding his teammates for easy buckets. He also spent a lot of time at the foul line, going a perfect 12-for-12. Brandon DeShields, a 6’6 senior, had 13 points. Yoziah Romero and Brown added ten points apiece. Dawone Hodges, a 6’3 senior, chipped in with eight points. The Bearcats went 24-of-31 from the stripe, while Reading was 20-of-26. York made seven 3-pointers, compared to just three for the Red Knights. Raybin Rubio provided a spark for Reading with a dozen points. The sophomore guard became a starter a few games ago. Rosario had ten points in his finale.

York clinched a berth in the state playoffs. The top eight teams in Class 6A advance to the PIAA tournament. Red Knights’ head coach Rick Perez will enter next season with 299 career wins. He’ll have a much more experienced squad next winter. DeCastro, Merriweather, Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones, Jamier Jacob, Rubio, and freshman Tai’je Slaughter will return. “This game has become much more than winning and losing to me. I fell short of being able to impose that on our guys and have them believe in that. That has always been the driving force to this program. I pray I can teach that, and show them that playing for something bigger than wins, losses and championships can take you further than you imagined. I will be better,” said Perez.

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.

The (18-6) Red Knights opened the heavyweight contest with five straight points and built a 18-8 advantage on the scorecard. The (16-7) Muhls trailed 19-10 after eight minutes. A three-point play by Perez pulled Muhlenberg within 23-19 midway through the second quarter. Merriweather contributed five points in that period and Reading led 35-25 at halftime. The southpaw was playing in Santander Arena for the first time. “I liked it a lot. I always like big moments. I never get nervous,” he replied. Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones, a 6’ sophomore, chipped in with ten points. Rosario and Jamier Jacob finished with eight points apiece in a balanced attack. “Anybody on this team could score. Being unselfish, that’s how we play best. If we keep doing that, we’re a great team,” emphasized Merriweather.

The Muhls, as expected, didn’t go away quietly. They began the second half with a 12-to-4 run. The Red Knights responded by scoring ten of the next twelve points. Rosario converted a three-point play and Jones hit a triple. Muhlenberg was behind 49-41 entering the fourth quarter. A 11-to-3 run by the Muhls evened it up at 52-52 with 5:36 to go. Eli Hemmings squeezed twelve of his game-high 22 points into the final period. The lanky 6’4 junior guard put home an offensive rebound and was fouled with 4:34 on the clock. Hemmings sank the free throw to give Muhlenberg its first lead at 55-54. His scoop shot put the Muhls on top 57-56 with 1:47 to play. Rosario, the lone senior in Reading’s starting lineup, drove down the right side of the lane and scored with 1:26 left. Merriweather then found DeCastro for a layup with 52 seconds remaining. DeCastro opted to attack the basket with a 60-57 edge in the final seconds. He missed which gave Muhlenberg another opportunity to tie the game. Hemmings passed to Perez in the corner for a 3-pointer. Jones got his hand on the ball just before Perez released the shot. It came up short, grazing the right side of the rim.

The Red Knights were outstanding from the foul line. They went 12-for-14 and the Muhls ended up 12-for-16. Jones knocked down two of Reading’s four treys. Muhlenberg only connected three times from beyond the arc. Nelson “Coco” Malave had 15 points, including eleven in the first half. The junior guard played for the Red Knights last year. Perez provided eight points off the Muhls’ bench. They were trying to reach the Berks Conference Championship for the first time since 1974. Reading has claimed a record 25 BCIAA titles. “We don’t look ahead…We talk about what we’re gonna do the next day at practice. We don’t want to talk about championships,” explained Merriweather. They’ll get another chance to cut the nets down on Friday night at Santander Arena.

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

The BCIAA semifinals will take place on Wednesday, February 11th at Santander Arena in Reading. The championship games will be held there on Friday, February 13th. The girls final will begin at 6pm. Here are the quarterfinal matchups on Saturday.

#7 Oley Valley at #2 Gov. Mifflin-12pm

#5 Schuylkill Valley at #4 Reading-12:30pm

#6 Twin Valley at #3 Exeter-1pm

#8 Kutztown at #1 Wilson-7:30pm

The Red Knights limited McKoy to five points in a 48-40 win at the Geigle Complex on December 29th. “We were really hurt from that game…We needed that lost,” emphasized Guilavogui. Berks Catholic is riding an 11-game winning streak after knocking off Muhlenberg, York Country Day, and Reading in consecutive days. Guilavogui set the tone in front of a packed house on Saturday. He squeezed eight points into the opening quarter, including a pair of treys. Guilavogui has hit 26 triples this year, second-most on the team. He’s averaging 5.3 points per game. Gavin Welker got a friendly bounce on his 3-pointer before the halftime buzzer. Welker’s shot from the right wing hit the rim and then the backboard before rattling home. The 6’3 senior forward gave the Saints a 32-18 advantage at the break.

Reading point guard Weshly Rosario had to go to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 7:10 left in the third quarter. Guilavogui then sank two treys to make it 38-24. Johnny Giesa drilled a triple from the left corner to increase the margin to 43-28 with 2:27 remaining in the period. Welker connected from long range to begin the fourth quarter and extend Berks Catholic’s lead to 48-30. Eleven of Welker’s season-high fourteen points came in the final period. “He’s a great shooter. We tell him that at practice all the time. Our coaches always let him know that he has to shoot the ball,” noted Guilavogui. Giesa, a 6’5 junior, added 13 points in a balanced attack. “I think he’s always had it. Since I’ve been playing with him since eighth grade, I’ve seen how good he was. He just needed that confidence and that aggression,” replied Guilavogui.

The Saints made eleven 3-pointers and finished 11-of-12 from the foul line. The (15-6, 8-3) Red Knights converted just three attempts from beyond the arc, all in the fourth quarter. They ended up 4-of-8 from the stripe. Sophomore guard Javon Merriweather contributed a team-high eleven points off the bench. Sophomore Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones had nine points and Jostin DeCastro was held to eight. The 6’3 junior is putting up 21 points a night this season. Reading was coming off a 55-51 overtime victory at Wilson on Friday. The Red Knights had won twelve of their previous fourteen contests before getting blown out by Berks Catholic.

Both of these squads are headed to the BCIAA playoffs. The Saints haven’t claimed a Berks County title since 2018. They fell to Reading 48-41 in the semifinals last year at Santander Arena. “We just take it game by game. When we get there, we’ll get there,” said Guilavogui.

Reading knocked down all five of its 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Rosario hit a pair of triples and sophomore Javon Merriweather came off the bench to make two more treys. The (14-4, 7-2) Muhls found themselves in a 23-13 hole after eight minutes. Mike Miller Jr. jammed eight points into the first period, but he picked up his fourth foul with 6:53 left in the first half. The senior forward fouled out with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Red Knights were in front 40-24 at halftime and they got a bucket from DeCastro to begin the second half.

Jadin Perez, the son of Reading head coach Rick Perez, splashed a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. Eli Hemmings, a 6’4 junior guard, then made two free throws to pull Muhlenberg within 50-41. Hemmings was fouled on the Muhls’ next possession. He split a pair of foul shots, grabbed an offensive rebound after his second attempt, and was fouled again. Hemmings connected twice from the stripe and Reading’s lead had quickly dwindled to 50-44 with 1:45 to play in the third period. The Red Knights were outscored 21-12 in that quarter. They were on top 52-45 entering the last eight minutes.

Perez buried another triple from the left corner and then found sophomore Rhyon Hutchinson for a layup. The fans were going crazy as Muhlenberg made it 53-50 with 6:29 on the clock. However, Reading responded with a pivotal 8-0 run. DeCastro gave credit to Perez who earned his 294th career win. “The talent is there on our team. We can go up against anybody. Our only problem is our emotions. Coach P. does a lot of keeping us together and keeping our emotions in check,” noted DeCastro. Following a turnover by the Muhls, DeCastro finished a breakaway layup for a 69-57 edge with 1:18 left. He converted two important free throws with 36 seconds remaining. Perez sank his third 3-pointer from the left corner to get Muhlenberg within 71-66 with 24 seconds to go. Rosario answered with two clutch foul shots three seconds later. The Red Knights ended up 27-of-39 from the stripe. They were 18-of-24 in the fourth quarter. Rosario connected on 12 of his 17 attempts, while DeCastro was 8-for-10. Jamier Jacob chipped in with nine points and Merriweather added eight. Reading won for the fifth time in six games, despite committing 19 turnovers.

Hemmings had a team-high 23 points for the Muhls, including 21 in the second half. He scored a game-high 25 points when Muhlenberg defeated Reading last month. Nelson “Coco” Malave, a transfer from Reading, contributed ten points on Thursday. Perez, a 6’4 senior, was responsible for nine of the Muhls’ 17 bench points. Miller and junior point guard LJ Armstrong ended up with eight points apiece. Muhlenberg drained eight treys and went 16-for-24 from the foul line. Their five-game winning streak came to a halt.

Four teams in Division 1 of the Berks Conference are within two games. Berks Catholic is atop the standings with a (8-1) league mark. The Red Knights and Muhls are tied for second place at (7-2). Wilson, which won 55-51 at Exeter on Thursday, is still in the mix at (6-3). “Right now, it’s up in the air. There’s no guarantee who’s gonna win,” said DeCastro.