Saints get big win against Eagles

Sophomore Madison Langdon leads Berks Catholic with a career-high 21 points

In a clash of division leaders, Berks Catholic sophomore Madison Langdon had a career night.

Langdon scored a career-high 21 points and the Saints cruised past Exeter 63-43 in a Berks Girls Basketball League Division I-II game on Thursday night at Reiffton.

“The career high is nice, but I’m just glad that we came out with the win,” Langdon said. “I try to be aggressive defensively and offensively.”

Langdon was one of three Saints who scored in double figures, as senior Caraline Herb had 15 points and sophomore Molly McFadden scored 10. Langdon accounted for eight of her team’s 22 field goals.

“Offensively, we have a lot of scorers, so it’s tough to shut us down all the way around,” Berks Catholic

coach Bob Birmingham said. “You saw that tonight. Different people came up big at different times during the game.”

The Saints (5-0 Berks I, 8-4) scored a season-high 63 points, their highest scoring output since a win over the Eagles on Feb. 4, 2022. While it broke the 60-point mark, Berks Catholic struggled to convert layups and other short-range shots.

“I thought we missed a lot of easy shots inside,” Birmingham said. “Our defense really kept us in the game.”

The Saints’ defense got off to a strong start, holding Exeter (3-2 Berks II, 5-7) to just four points in the first quarter to take a 14-4 lead.

The second quarter was more evenly matched, as Eagles junior Grace Reedy began to heat up. Reedy scored nine of Exeter’s 10 points in the second quarter on her way to a gamehigh 29 points.

“Grace Reedy had a heck of a game,” Birmingham said. “She really added a lot to her game from last year.”

Reedy, the cousin of former Saints standout and current Alvernia freshman Caroline Reedy, leads Berks with 281 points and 97 field goals this season. She is averaging 23.4 points per game, and has scored 20 or more points in four of her last five games.

“Grace just continues to grow,” Eagles coach Derek Wolfe said. “She’s just a flatout scorer. Teams focus on her and she still gets the job done consistently.”

After leading 25-14 at the half, the Saints extended their lead in the third quarter by opening with an 8-2 run. Berks Catholic outscored Exeter 18-11 in the third and led 43-25 after three quarters.

“We can learn from this and improve on the things we need to improve on,” Wolfe said about his team. “I’m proud of their effort. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

The Saints continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter, with Langdon leading the way on both ends of the floor. She scored nine of her 21 points in the fourth.

“She’s just very consistent in the game,” Birmingham said. “I thought she took the ball to the basket really strong tonight.”

In her first season as Berks Catholic’s primary point guard, Langdon is averaging 12.3 points per game, which ranks second on the team. She is one of two Saints, along with sophomore Sydney Corado, who have a free throw percentage over 75% this season.

“She runs the offense for us,” Birmingham said. “She pushes the ball down the floor.”

Last season, Langdon played in all 28 games, averaging 5.4 points per game. A year older and more experienced, she credits her teammates for helping her develop as a player.

“Confidence-wise, I’ve grown a lot,” Langdon said. “I have a great team that believes in me and helps me become a better player every day.”