Five Berks Teams Qualify for District 3 Playoffs, Brackets Set
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Five Berks Girls League teams have qualified for the District 3 playoffs: Wilson and Gov. Mifflin in 6A, Exeter in 5A, and Oley Valley and Kutztown in 3A.
Wilson is making its 36th appearance in the tournament and third straight. The Bulldogs finished in fifth place last season, winning two playback games after a 40-29 loss to Dallastown in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs have six district championships coming in 2014, 2013, 2008, 2000, 1998, and 1997. They've appeared in nine total championship games.
Gov. Mifflin is making its 38th district tournament appearance and third straight. The Mustangs lost to Manheim Township 70-51 two years ago and 74-43 to Central Dauphin last season, both in the first round. The Mustangs have four district title appearances, winning in 1993 with a 63-40 win over Cedar Crest.
Exeter last qualified for the district tournament in 2024, losing 46-30 to Manheim Central in the first round. This is the 18th time Exeter has qualified for districts. The Eagles won one district championship in program history in 1977 with a 39-25 victory over Delone Catholic.
Oley Valley is making its third straight appearance and 24th overall after winning its first district playoff game in 10 years last season with a 51-47 victory over Columbia. The Lynx have won one title coming in 2011 with a 71-62 victory over Lancaster Catholic. They've appeared in one other championship game the following year, when Lancaster Catholic got revenge with a 72-69 win.
Kutztown is making its 25th appearance and first since 2012. The Cougars have appeared in one championship, a 39-36 loss to Bishop McDevitt in 1983.
Find the full brackets here.
Wilson secured the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Penn Manor on Monday, Feb. 16, at 7:00 p.m. If the Bulldogs win, they'll face either No. 5 Mechanicsburg or No. 12 South Western on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the higher seed.
Gov. Mifflin is the No. 11 seed and will travel to No. 6 Ephrata on Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. If the Mustangs win, they'll face either No. 3 Dallastown or No. 14 Cedar Crest on Feb. 19 at the higher seed.
Exeter is the No. 12 seed in 5A and will travel to No. 5 Lampeter-Strasburg on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 7:00 p.m. If the Eagles win, they'll face either No. 4 Susquehanna Township or No. 13 Elco on Friday, Feb. 20, at the higher seed.
In 3A, Oley Valley is No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 Kutztown on Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. It will be the third time the Berks IV opponents match up this season. The Lynx swept the regular season series with a 29-26 victory on Dec. 16 and a 48-34 victory on Jan. 29.
The winner between the Lynx and Cougars will face No. 1 Trinity on Thursday, Feb. 19.
The 6A championship will be played Feb. 26, the 5A championship on Feb. 27, and the 3A championship on Feb. 25.
Last season, eight Berks teams qualified for districts: Berks Catholic, Conrad Weiser, Gov. Mifflin, Oley Valley, Reading High, Twin Valley, Wilson, and Wyomissing.
The last Berks team to win a District 3 title is Wyomissing, which completed a threepeat last season with a classic 26-24 victory over Lancaster Catholic.
Overall, Wilson (6), Central Catholic (4), Holy Name (4), Wyomissing (3), Exeter (1), Gov. Mifflin (1), Muhlenberg (1), and Oley Valley (1) are the only Berks teams that have won district championships.