Berks Catholic 80 Octorara 47: wrap

Written by: Dell Jackson on December 12, 2023

Berks Catholic 80 Octorara 47
Dec. 12, 2023

Andy Herr checked out Berks Catholic vs. Cedar Crest last week. He came away with big-time props for the Saints. Coach Esterly talked with Dell before the game and had a sly smile about Andy’s prediction for down the road. “I heard about that bracket thing”. Coach Esterly has coached a bunch of games and has the drive to keep his players motivated to play the best they can. Coach repeatedly told players about their mistakes even though the game was not in doubt. One player hit a three and maybe congratulated himself too much, and Coach let him know that he needed to get back and play defense. This, folks, is a driven team. The Saints lost a lot of scoring from last season, but they have rolled through their early season at 3-0, with two wins vs LL foes (Crest and Octorara).

Zach Kirk scored the first bucket for Octorara, but the Saints answered on a three-ball by Parker Nein. Berks Catholic would never give up the lead after the first score for the Braves. The Saints got to the rim repeatedly as they forged a 15-4 lead midway thru the first period. After a timeout by Octorara, the Braves found some traction cutting the deficit to 15-13 on a triple by Vito Vespe, 6’2” sophomore. The Saints would score the last 7 points of the stanza to take a commanding 22-13 lead.

Berks Catholic was consistent all night. Their defense kept Octoara out of the lane for the most part- they were solid on the ball and physical off the ball. The Saints posted 23 points in the second to Octorara’s 15. Berks hit 4 three-balls in the period (3 by Zach Suski, 5’11” jn., and 1 by Brady Altimar , 5’6” sophomore). 45-28 at the break.

The Saints sprinted out to an 11-3 run to start the third- the last bucket a three-pointer by Parker Nein, 6’2” sn. Nein has a beautiful shot and a real nice floor game. The quarter ended with a 62-38 advantage for the Saints.

With both teams getting their subs some action in the fourth, there was not much to report on as the game coasted to the final 80-47 win for Berks Catholic.

Points:
Berks Catholic- Parker Nein 21, Zach Suski 14, Kingston McCoy 13, Joshua McCoy 11
Octorara- Jason johnson 14

Unofficial stats:
Rebounds: Octorara 18, Berks Catholic 29