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2024 CoBL Winter Classic @ Exeter Twp.: Event Standouts (Dec. 6-7)

12/08/2024, 1:15am EST

By Josh Verlin

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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READING — The second CoBL Winter Showcase at Exeter Township High School brought eight games up to Exeter this weekend, featuring teams from four different PIAA districts — District 1, District 3, District 11 and District 12.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff over the course of the weekend:

Creston Austin III (above) had two strong games this weekend at Exeter. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Creston Austin III (2025 | Cumberland Valley)
The 6-4 senior forward led the Eagles with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 60-57 loss to Berks Catholic on Friday night. Austin was crucial on the glass for the defending District 3 Class 6A champions and, after being patient with getting points in the flow of the offense initially, started taking initiative with his post game to keep Cumberland Valley in the game in the second half. He then added 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on Saturday as CV beat Governor Mifflin, 58-51.

Sean Benson (2026 | Penncrest)
In Penncrest’s 49-38 win over Exeter Township. on Saturday to close out the event, Benson was impressive on both ends. The 6-1 guard, who plays defensive back for the Lions as well, knocked down his first shot, a 3-point, powering him to a 14-point evening on 6-of-10 from the floor (2-4 3PT), along with three rebounds and three steals. Benson got a few buckets in transitions off his steals and also slashed hard to the rim in the half court, along with showcasing his solid jumper on his 3-point shots.

Nolan Buzalka (2025 | Cumberland Valley)
Cumberland Valley’s 6-3 wrecking ball of a center was all over the court in CV’s 58-51 overtime win over Governor Mifflin on Saturday, though he fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Before then, he racked up 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal, playing downhill at all times, sometimes launching his body through the lane in the search for a rebound or to draw contact as he got to the bucket, and he wasn’t afraid at all of taking contact or hitting the floor.

Aiden Dauble (2026 | Exeter)
Dauble and the Eagles went cold in the second half of a 59-53 loss to defending Lancaster-Lebanon League champ Cedar Crest Friday night, but the 6-1 junior wing still did it all on the court to give host Exeter a chance at the win. He scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had two assists and two steals. Dauble didn’t force anything after the Eagles could not hit an outside jumper after hitting five 3s in the first quarter and his calmness kept Exeter in it.

Madyx Gruber (above) scored Wilson's first 15 points on Saturday. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL).

Madyx Gruber (2025 | Wilson West Lawn)
Gruber earned his spot on this list by the midway point of the second quarter in Wilson’s 45-43 win over Liberty. He scored the first 15 points for his team, single-handedly keeping them in it for the first 12 minutes, before his teammates stepped up and started hitting shots. After hitting eight straight shots in the first half (8-of-12 overall), Gruber didn’t actually attempt a shot in the second half, Liberty focusing much of its defensive attention on the 6-1 combo guard and standout multi-sport athlete, but he was 6-for-6 from the foul line and otherwise gave them solid ball-handling and a strong defensive presence.

Matt Koehler (2025 | Governor Mifflin)
With Mifflin on the edge of getting run out of the gym by Cumberland Valley, down 15 to the defending District 3 6A champs in the third quarter, Koehler shot the Mustangs right back into it. The 6-3 swingman knocked down four 3-pointers between the third and fourth quarters, scoring 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half overall; he was 4-of-4 from the floor (3-3 3PT, 2-2 FT) for 13 points in the fourth quarter alone as Mifflin forced overtime before falling just short. Koehler finished the game 7-of-10 from the floor (4-6 3PT, 2-2 FT), along with nine rebounds.

Kingston McKoy (2026 | Berks Catholic)
McKoy, a 6-3 junior guard, was on fire in the second half of Berks Catholic’s 60-57 over the defending District 3 Class 6A champion Cumberland Valley. McKoy scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in the final two quarters in a variety of ways. He beat his defender and either finished acrobatically at the rim, drew a foul, or both. He hit two 3s and made multiple midrange pull-ups and fadeaway jumpers. After breaking his leg in the 14th game for the Saints last season, he appears fully recovered. McKoy also had seven rebounds, two assists, and four steals.

Jake Puzszyn (2026 | Liberty)
Going head-to-head with Gruber in a terrific battle of lead guards was Pukszyn, who shined in his own right in a 17-point, six-rebound, four-assist outing. The star wide receiver on the Hurricanes’ football squad is a real talent with the ball in his hands, doing a great job of using head fakes and change-of-pace to slow a defender up and then suddenly blow by them, or pull up for a tough jumper, using a quick first step and good bounce to find some type of clean look when his team needed it.

Zach Suski (2025 | Berks Catholic)
When we say Suski toughed out 18 points in Berks Catholic’s win over Pope John Paul II on Saturday, we mean it. Suski was constantly finding himself in amongst the trees, surrounded in the post, but managed to find ways and angles to get the ball up and in, including with a couple and-ones along the way. Suski scored 16 in the second half, getting his third quarter started with a 3-pointer before getting inside; he also finished with six rebounds (two offensive) in the Saints’ 19-point win.

RJ Young (2025 | Cedar Crest)
Cedar Crest’s 6-7 post picked up two early fouls and had only two points in the first half as the Falcons trailed Exeter 28-23 at the break in Friday night’s finale. Young effectively managed the foul trouble in the second half and scored eight points while grabbing a medley of rebounds to lead Cedar Crest past the host Eagles 59-53. He finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks, then added six points, 111 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in a win over Chester on Saturday.