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Berlin Brothersvalley settles for PIAA Class 1A silver, falling to Imani Christian

adam ripple, the daily american
·4 min read

HERSHEY — It was going to take a monumental effort for Berlin Brothersvalley to upset defending PIAA Class 1A champion Imani Christian in the title game on Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Berlin kept things close after one, but Imani Christian went on a massive run to open the second, which proved to be insurmountable for the Mountaineers, falling 79-52.

"They're quick, athletic defensively. They get great ball pressure," said Berlin coach Tanner Prosser of Imani Christian. "We move the ball and they recover so quickly. Credit to them. I knew tonight we were going to have to play our very best and we were going to need them to probably not play their best or probably even a good bit worse than that. They played well and we did not play well."

Berlin Brothersvalley's Pace Prosser (22) drives around Imani Christian's R.J. Sledge (1) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Berlin Brothersvalley's Pace Prosser (22) drives around Imani Christian's R.J. Sledge (1) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Berlin (28-3) trailed 20-12 after one. The Mountaineers led 11-7 on a basket by senior Pace Prosser, but the Saints closed the frame on a 13-1 spurt.

The Mountaineers pulled within four in the second on buckets from junior Mac Foor, who finished with 16 points, and senior Craig Jarvis.

Berlin Brothersvalley's Mac Foor shoots over Imani Christian's Dayshawn Burnett (12) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Berlin Brothersvalley's Mac Foor shoots over Imani Christian's Dayshawn Burnett (12) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Imani Christian (20-11) took control from there. Senior Nate Brazil, who was postseason ineligible last year because of a transfer from Nazareth Prep, recorded the next seven points. Brazil finished with 18 points.

Junior point guard R.J. Sledge provided seven points in a 19-0 surge to take a commanding 39-16 advantage. Sledge, who transferred from Bishop Canevin after his freshman year, delivered a game-high 22 points. He comes from a rich basketball family. He is the nephew of former Schenley High School talent Jamaal "Onion" Bryant and is the cousin of former University of Pittsburgh standout DeJuan Blair.

Imani Christian led 41-19 at the break after outscoring Berlin 21-7 in the second. The Saints quickly turned defense into offense with their tenacity to force turnovers.

"We got back after missed shots pretty well," Prosser said. "You can't get back when you turn the ball over. That's where the problem happens. When you turn the ball over and have guys in different spots, you're not going to recover."

Imani Christian added on in the third and set the running clock in motion with a 12-2 run.

PIAA title preview Berlin Brothersvalley gets rematch with Imani Christian in PIAA 1A title game

The Saints, who will move to Class 6A next season, led 69-31 after three.

Saints coach Khayree Wilson, who is in the first year of his second stint at the helm of his alma mater, knew his squad had to defend well against Prosser and Jarvis.

"Our game plan, just watching some of his film, Prosser can shoot the basketball," Wilson said. "I was watching games where he wasn't even coming off the screen. He was standing behind the screen. Our thing was, never fall asleep. There were a couple times when we fell asleep and he got those shots, so you've got to respect a kid like that because he could ultimately turn the game around."

Berlin Brothersvalley's Craig Jarvis drives between Imani Christian's R.J. Sledge (1) and Nate Brazil (5) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Berlin Brothersvalley's Craig Jarvis drives between Imani Christian's R.J. Sledge (1) and Nate Brazil (5) in the PIAA Class 1A boys' basketball championship, March 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Prosser finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Jarvis tallied a team-high 18.

Berlin won its fifth straight District 5 title, an Inter-County Conference championship and played in its third PIAA 1A final in four seasons this year. All three runner-up teams were vastly different. It took contributions up and down the lineup for the Mountaineers to make it back to Hershey.

"Our junior class, for us to get back here, they were going to have to significantly improve and really, really work hard," Coach Prosser said. "Those three guys (Foor, Haydon Hutzell and Joey Richardson) were more than I could have ever asked. They gave everything they had for me every day. It's going to be exciting to see what they can do next year taking over the leadership for sure."

Coach Prosser will lose two incredibly talented players in Prosser and Jarvis, along with Parker Black, who was unable to play this season.

"Pace and Craig ... amazing careers," Coach Prosser said. "It stings right now that they didn't get to win one of these. It hurts all of us, but I can guarantee that those two guys gave everything they had for the last four years to try and get it done for the school and the community."

Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X (Twitter) @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin unable to hang with Imani Christian in PIAA 1A title game