10 Players to Watch in Berks girls basketball next season

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2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

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By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

The Berks Girls League’s top scorer the past two seasons, Exeter’s Grace Reedy, will be working toward a nursing degree. Oley Valley’s All-Berks guard Morgan Snyder will be attending Penn State, where she will play field hockey.

Gov. Mifflin’s All-Berks wing Taylor Koenig will be studying and playing ball at the Division II or III level. Wyomissing’s All-Berks forward Annie McCaffrey will be attending the University of Massachusetts.

Three All-Berks selections return next season, but beyond that, who will be the next crop of Berks girls basketball players to rise to the top? Here’s a look ahead:

1. Amaya Stewart, Wyomissing, senior

Surprise! The sure-fire repeat All-State pick isn’t finished yet. The rising 6-1 senior sits at 1,339 career points after averaging 19.5 in a junior season that saw Wyomissing advance to the PIAA Final Four.

Her season-high 33 points was supplemented by 11 rebounds against Neumann-Goretti in the PIAA second round, a type of performance that has become commonplace for the Division I prospect.

She’ll be going for a third straight Berks Player of the Year selection.

2. Laila Jones, Wilson, junior

The dynamic 5-7 All-Berks point guard is already up to 788 career points after a sophomore season in which she averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.9 steals to lead the Bulldogs to the state playoffs. Jones has played and led above her years since she was a freshman and the fact she has two more years left is scary for the rest of Berks.

3. Madison Langdon, Berks Catholic, senior

The seasoned 5-4 point guard averaged 16.5 points and expanded her game beyond the 3-point line (47 3’s) as a junior, blowing away her totals of 16 as a sophomore and 17 as a freshman. Langdon was a key part of two 20-win seasons for BC as an underclassmen; she’ll be motivated to get the Saints back on track after a 12-13 finish.

4. Addison Benner, Brandywine Heights, senior

The versatile 5-10 guard has averaged double-digit points in each of her three seasons (14.1 this season, 13.2 as a sophomore, 14.1 as a freshman) and needs just 20 points to reach 1,000. Deanna Daddona’s program record of 1,253 is within reach.

The Bullets have gone 47-25 in Benner’s three seasons in Mertztown.

5. Hailey Kilgore, Twin Valley, junior

The 5-6 sniper missed multiple games due to injury this season and still hit 47 3’s, including seven when she scored 27 in a thrilling 48-45 loss to Exeter in a February battle against the league’s top scorer, Grace Reedy (She had 29 points in that one). Kilgore averaged 14.4 points in 18 games and sits at 490 for her career.

6. Audrey Hurleman, Wyomissing, senior

The 5-8 athletic wing’s impact is always felt on the defensive end but her offense comes through on the brightest stages. Hurleman scored in double figures five times this season, against Elco at the Wells Fargo Center, Northern Lebanon in the district semis, Delone Catholic in the district final, and Neumann-Goretti and North Catholic in the state playoffs.

7. Bella Super, Gov. Mifflin, sophomore

The 5-7 super frosh averaged 12.0 points and hit 34 3’s this season. She got more comfortable playing at the varsity level as the season progressed and scored 17 points in a BCIAA playoff win over Oley Valley, 16 in a BCIAA playoff loss to Wyomissing, and 12 in a district playoff loss to Manheim Township.

An increase in production is likely — and needed — with the graduation of top scorer Taylor Koenig.

8. Tamyia Collier, Reading High, senior

The Red Knights’ 5-8 wing led the team with an 11.0 scoring average. Collier is a consistent, steady presence for Reading High, one of only three players to play in all 23 games last season. The rising senior has worked to improve her foul shooting, making them at a 77-percent clip this season; that’s fourth among players who made 40 or more, behind Oley Valley’s Morgan Snyder (84 percent), Daniel Boone’s Liv Welker (79 percent), and Mifflin’s Taylor Koenig (79 percent).

9. Violet Houck, Wilson, junior

Wilson’s 5-11 center averaged 9.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as the Bulldogs reached the PIAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons.

Houck is an elite, athletic rim protector, making opponents think twice about challenging her at the basket. The Bulldogs took the next step this season and plan to continue advancing further with a core that will be back for the next two seasons.

10. Alexis Hardy, Wyomissing, senior

The speedy, all-division 5-5 guard suffered a concussion in the Spartans’ PIAA second-round win and missed the next two state tournament games but she was a critical piece in the Spartans’ historic season.

Hardy averaged 6.3 points per game — third highest on the team — and was the primary ball handler and a steal-and-score defensive weapon on the wing. The experienced guard has transformed her outside shot, making 23 3’s after making eight as a freshman and 10 as a sophomore.

Next in line

• Yamilex Rodriguez, Reading High, senior
• Sydney Corado, Berks Catholic, senior
• Liv Welker, Daniel Boone, junior
• Lianna Martir, Muhlenberg, junior
• Izzy Buehler, Oley Valley, senior
• Elyssa Sellers, Schuylkill Valley, junior
• Amelia Gassert, Hamburg, senior
• Avery Baransky, Tulpehocken, senior
• Alex Trevena, Conrad Weiser, senior
• Kacey Maggs, Wyomissing, junior

Underclassmen to watch

• Kailani Hardy, Wilson, sophomore
• Brooklyn George, Gov. Mifflin, sophomore
• Karly Hyde, Wyomissing, sophomor
• Geniva Paul, Conrad Weiser, sophomore
• Jade Fitzgerald, Kutztown, sophomore
• Bridget Martin, Gov. Mifflin, sophomore
• Hannah West, Gov. Mifflin, sophomore
• Kaitlyn Houptley, Kutztown, sophomore