PIAA basketball semifinals: Jason Fredericks’ 20 not enough, Berks Catholic ends North Catholic’s run
PETERS TWP, Franklin County — Eight points were the difference on the scoreboard, but one player was the deviation on the hardwood.
North Catholic’s PIAA Class 4A boys basketball playoff run came to an end with a 67-59 loss in the semifinal round Friday night against Berks Catholic. Saints junior Kingston McKoy led all scorers with 24 points, and his presence was key down the stretch.
“They have that guy,” Trojans coach Jim Rocco said. “That’s what it is. I mean, teams are evenly balanced otherwise. But, when you have that guy, he’s a Power 4 kid. ... He’s as good as we’ve played all year.”
Jude Rottmann evened matters for the Trojans (22-7) at 55-55 with 3:23 to play, but they didn’t make another shot from the field.
“They just missed a couple shots,” Berks Catholic coach Ken “Snip” Esterly said. “That’s how it turns out.”
Esterly said his defense did well in defending Jason Fredericks and Rottmann in the second half, but Owen Maddalon and Joe Waskiewicz popped up in their places. The latter had 10 points in the third quarter, and his team was leading 47-44 after that frame. He made a basket early into the fourth, stretching the lead to five.
A few minutes later, freshman Carmelo Harper hit 1 of 2 free throws for the Saints (24-4), rebounding his own miss before Bryce Gumby knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 51-50.
McKoy briefly gave his side the lead before Maddalon’s Eurostep layup snatched it back.
Harper drained a trey on the next possession, and Rottmann tied it 1:18 later. McKoy’s successful trip to the charity stripe gave his team a permanent advantage with 1:47 to go.
“We had a kid years ago, Drew Schifino, at Penn Hills, and with Drew on the floor, I mean, everybody else, their game is elevated because they’ve got time,” Rocco said. “You’ve got to pay so much attention to the great player.”
Fredericks finished with a Trojans-leading 20 points, and Maddalon scored 17. Waskiewicz also finished in double figures with 12.
The Saints will face the winner of District 2’s Valley View and District 12’s Devon Prep in Thursday’s state championship in Hershey.
Rocco said making such a deep run is something for his team to be proud of.
“At the beginning of the year — and even in the summer — we were not considered the best in Western Pa.,” Rocco said. “We ended the season being the best in Western Pa. ... I told these guys, ‘I’m getting stuff all ready for summer league. You know, fellas, summer league. And you’re still playing.’”
NORTH CATHOLIC 59
Jason Fredericks 7 4-4 20, Owen Maddalon 6 5-5 17, Joe Waskiewicz 5 3-4 12, Jude Rottmann 3 0-0 8, Donnie Schubert 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 12-13 59.
BERKS CATHOLIC 67
Kingston McKoy 9 5-7 24, Bryce Gumby 5 6-8 19, Carmelo Harper 4 3-4 13, Zachary Suski 4 1-1 9, Brady Altimar 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 15-20 67.
North Catholic 18 4 25 12 — 59
Berks Catholic 16 12 16 23 — 67
3-point goals: Berks Catholic 6 (Gumby 3, Harper 2, McKoy); North Catholic 5 (Fredericks 2, Rottmann 2, Waskiewicz)
Thursday: Berks Catholic vs. Devon Prep/Valley View
