BY JEFF FALK

 WYOMISSING – Plenty of moments. Plenty of highlights.

 But no championships. No real signature wins.

  So close. But yet so far away.

 The Elco boys’ basketball team still has some work left to do. And the Raiders still haven’t run out of time.

 If any result epitomized – or characterized – Elco’s season, this one was it.

 On Thursday night at Berks Catholic High School, the Raiders played their hearts out in the quarterfinal round of the District Three Class AAAA playoffs, but couldn’t get over the top, in a  36-34 loss to the home-standing Saints. After falling behind early, the Raiders rallied, but couldn’t produce that one decisive play down the stretch.

 The loss dropped sixth-seeded Elco to 13-11 overall and into the consolation bracket of a District Three Class AAAA tournament, which advances five teams to the PIAA playoffs. The Raiders can take a step in that direction on Monday at 7 p.m. at home, against seventh-seeded Octorara.

 Third-seeded Berks Catholic will carry a 21-5 mark into Monday’s Class AAAA semifinal.

 “It’s been pretty meaningful,” said Elco head coach Brad Conners of the season his club is currently enjoying. “We’ve made memories all season long. Those are the things that matter to me. I don’t know if we need anything to validate it. But we want Monday’s game.

 “Our season is not over yet,” continued Conners. “That’s (Berks Catholic) potentially the district champion. We were right there with them. We got the game we wanted. It’s a tough pill to swallow. If we want our season to continue, it will.”

 If the Raiders were playing for an opportunity in the fourth quarter, they got it, after trailing by 14 points early in the second half.

 Elco began the final period with a three-pointer from Asher Kemble, and another ‘trey’, this one from Bryce Coletti, pulled Elco to within 34-31 of the lead, with 5:34 remaining. Most of the next five minutes of action consisted of the Saints playing a deliberate style of ‘keep away’ and Elco trying to double team the ball and foul.

 When the Raiders did finally reach the bonus, Berks Catholic connected on a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left, to up its advantage to 36-31. Those foul shots made another Coletti three-pointer, with six seconds to go, meaningless.

 “It was 34-31 with two minutes to go,and I thought we were fine,” said Conners. “We took a timeout and talked to the kids about going for the steal. We were tough, but we didn’t get what we wanted. I’m proud of our kids. I’m proud of the effort.

 “I thought our kids were solid,” Conners continued. “They were resilient. They played to the end. We finally found our rhythm in the second half. They (his players) laid it on the line tonight, and they came up short.”

  Things certainly didn’t look good for the Raiders three minutes into the third quarter, with Berks Catholic up 29-15. 

  But when Kemble knocked down a jumper and Braden Bohannon netted a driving lay-in, it seemed to spark Elco. The Raiders then notched the final six points of the period – on a pair of Coletti drives and another Kemble jump shot – to close to within 32-25 of the Saints.

 “Our game plan was to spread them out and make them come out and guard us,” said Conners. “We can’t come out and get into a track meet with them all game long. We just came up a couple of points short. They had more possessions than us, and it felt like they were coming off offensive rebounds.

 “But I don’t think the moment was too big for us,” added Conners. “We were right there.”

 Coletti, Kemble and Bohannon combined to score all 34 of the Raiders’ points. Kemble and Coletti each posted a dozen points, while Bohannon collected ten.

 Berks Catholic connected on four of its eight foul shots, but outscored Elco by three points there.

 “They’re long. They’re strong. They’re seasoned,” said Conners of the Saints. “I saw them live three times, in person. We thought by spreading them out, we could utilize our quickness. We took one shot, and basically we were done. It’s a tough way to play.”

  Thanks to three points from Bohannon and a deuce by Coletti, Elco trailed 7-5, 5:17 into the contest. Bohannon also tallied the first five points of the second stanza, as the Raiders drew to within 11-10 of the lead.

 “We’re one game at a time,” said Conners. “The most important game is the one we’re playing right now. The last week of practice has been in preparation for this game.”

 A three-pointer from Kemble midway through the second stanza pulled Elco to within 14-13 of Berks Catholic. But it would prove to be the Raiders’ last points of the first half, as the Saints enjoyed a 25-13 bulge in the locker room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018-19 Elco Boys’ Basketball Results