Zach Suski-Berks Catholic

Zach Suski was disappointed with how he played last week. The 6’ senior at Berks Catholic has bounced back in a big way. Suski scored 20 points in a 73-52 win at Reading on Tuesday. He topped that performance by pouring in a career-high 34 points against Muhlenberg on Friday night. The Saints held off the Muhls 65-61 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. “I don’t really know what to say. I’m just happy how I played,” replied Suski. He knocked down two of Berks Catholic’s six 3-pointers and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Suski, who’s the quarterback of the Saints’ football team, came into the night averaging 10 points per game. He had 18 in the first half versus Muhlenberg. Berks Catholic raced out to a 14-4 advantage. Brady Altimar drilled a 40-foot shot at the buzzer to make it 19-7 after the opening quarter. Suski provided seven points in the first eight minutes. The (6-1) Saints expanded their cushion to 28-11 in the second period. They didn’t commit a single turnover over the first ten minutes and were in front 32-22 at halftime. The Muhls didn’t go down quietly. Senior guards Jayden Kantner and Shermar Killen combined for 15 points in the third quarter. Killen picked up two fouls in the first six minutes and then got his third foul with 1:09 remaining in the second quarter. The All-County pick was limited to two points in the first half, but finished with 14. Kantner ended up with a team-high 26 points. He attacked the basket repeatedly and was 10-of-11 from the foul line. Muhlenberg, which has played just one home game this season, trailed 49-42 after the third quarter. Kingston McKoy started the final period with a trey. The highly-touted 6’2 junior guard provided Berks Catholic with 16 points. Altimar chipped in with eight points. A fast break layup by Killen pulled the (6-3) Muhls within 56-53 with 3:45 left. Suski responded with a three-point play after getting a pass from McKoy in transition. McKoy was a third team All-State selection in Class 4A a season ago. “Everyone focuses on him, sometimes double-team him. I’m just right there for the layup,” explained Suski. Kantner sank a pair of free throws with two minutes to play, but Suski converted another layup for a 61-57 edge. An inside basket by junior forward Michael Miller made it 63-61 in the final minute. On the ensuing possession, McKoy broke Muhlenberg’s press and fired a diagonal pass from half-court to Suski for a layup. That shot came with 30 seconds left and ended the scoring. The Saints were 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, while the Muhls went 12-of-14. “It’s tough. Every game is gonna be a good game. Every game you gotta play like a playoff game,” said Suski about moving up from Division 2 to Division 1 of the Berks Conference. He added, “The atmosphere is way better than last year. The season has been fun so far.” Scoring 54 total points in back-to-back games is also fun.