Everyone in the county is aiming to dethrone Berks Catholic, the defending BCIAA girls basketball champions and winners of three of the last five Berks titles.
However, the Saints don’t seem to be feeling the pressure.
“I think that there’s a little bit of pressure, but nothing that we can’t handle or that we’re not used to,” senior Caroline Reedy said. “All of us, since we were freshman, we (have) understood the type of team that we were playing for and the program that we were playing for. We understood that it would be expected of us.”
Berks Catholic will begin its trek toward repeating as county champions when it opens league play at Gov. Mifflin on Dec. 21. The Mustangs won Berks I last season with a 12-0 record.
“Our goal always is to win the county championship,” Saints coach Bob Birmingham said. “We start every year with that goal.”
Berks Catholic (1-1) began the non-conference portion of its regular season on Dec. 10 with a 52-44 victory over West York. The Saints fell to Delone Catholic 49-36 the following day.
“I thought we played well,” Birmingham said. “I was really happy with our performance against some quality competition early on.”
According to Birmingham, playing strong non-conference opponents helps Berks Catholic improve and prepare for its competition in the BCIAA. The Saints will play in the Basketball Classic tournament in Kissimmee, Fla, from Thursday through Saturday against teams from Arkansas, Nebraska and Oregon.
Berks Catholic also will take on Delone Catholic again on Dec. 23. The Squirettes were a PIAA Class 4A semifinalist last season.
“Any time you’re playing quality opponents and you’re in big games, it helps you,” Birmingham said. “Going into (league play), we want to go in with some confidence.”
Returning for the Saints are a pair ofAll-Berks selections in junior Caraline Herb and Reedy. Herb averaging a team-leading 11.6 points per game last season, while Reedy was not far behind at 11.1 points per game. Herb, known for her long-distance shooting, led the county in 3-pointers last season with 60, including a county-record 12 in a victory over Reading High.
Berks Catholic”s Caraline Herb (23) during a District 3 Class 5A first round game between the Solanco Golden Mules and the Berks Catholic Saints, Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium, Reading, PA.
However, Berks Catholic’s strength lies on the other side of the ball. The Saints allowed 32.9 points per game a season ago, the second-fewest in Berks.
According to Birmingham, Berks Catholic’s defensive play is key to the team’s overall success this season.
“Good defense turns into easy offense,” he said. “Keeping the defense consistent day-in and day-out only helps your offense.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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