Clutch ‘3’ by Annie McCaffrey helps Spartans reach 30-0, advance to Elite Eight
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
POTTSTOWN — Wyomissing senior Annie McCaffrey hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer all game until the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s PIAA Class 4A girls basketball second round game, a rematch in the same round from last season against Philly powerhouse Neumann-Goretti.
She decided to pull the trigger in the most tense of situations with about five minutes left and with the undefeated Spartans trailing by one after the Saints took their first lead of the game shortly before.
“Honestly, I knew if I missed it I was going to be in trouble,” McCaffrey said. “I just took my time, had some space, and took the shot.”
Turns out she won’t be in trouble with Wyomissing head coach Aaron Anders after the 3 dropped through the net and gave the District 3 champion Spartans the lead en route to a 62-52 victory over the District 12 third-place Saints at Pottstown High’s Strom Gymnasium.
“That ‘3,’ ” Anders said. “You are talking about moxie. That takes a whole lot of energy to do that. Just the confidence and the way she’s playing right now, it’s great to see.”
The Spartans (30-0) move on to face District 7 champ North Catholic, which defeated (10-2) Warren 59-32, in the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals Saturday in another rematch from last season. North Catholic ended the Spartans’ season in the same round last year.
It appeared Wyomissing was going to run away against Neumann-Goretti, getting out to a 9-0 lead which eventually ballooned to a 13-point advantage by the end of the first quarter.
Amaya Stewart had nine of her game-high 33 points in the quarter and the Saints shot 2-for-16 from the field, a recipe for disaster that head coach Andrea Peterson noted before the game.
Neumann-Goretti responded with a 20-point second quarter as Carryn Easley scored eight of her team-high 22 points and the Saints trailed 28-25 at halftime after sophomore Kamora Berry’s 3 was pure as time ran down.
Easley scored nine in the third and the Saints (19-7) took their first lead at 41-39 on her free throws after a steal with 3.7 seconds left before the fourth.
Stewart finished a layup off an assist from Alexis Hardy to tie it to begin the final quarter, but Berry drilled a 3-pointer to give the lead back to Goretti.
Wyomissing starter Kacey Maggs fouled out with 6:38 left and it started to look gloomy for the undefeated Spartans.
Stewart scored again after a vicious dropstep and then McCaffrey stepped up to the 3-point line for the first time and drained it.
“She came down, hit a big shot, and we struggled after that,” Peterson said. “It was like we couldn’t get our momentum back.”
Easley scored to tie it again before Audrey Hurleman converted two free throws to give the Spartans the lead for good.
Stewart’s back-to-back three-point plays ensued and the Spartans went up 54-47 with 2:59 left.
Easley hit a 3 with 1:43 remaining to cut the lead to four, but Hurleman and McCaffrey closed the game out at the foul line.
“A couple missed shots changed the dynamic of the game,” Peterson said. “We were down by 13 in the first quarter. We came back and made adjustments, but so did they. It was a heck of a game.”
Wyomissing outrebounded Goretti by 13 and held the Saints to 33 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range.
“We really packed it in defensively so that we would have two or three girls crashing in on them,” Hurleman said. “And when they dished it out, we made sure someone had a hand in their face. It was just limiting their shots by securing rebounds and pushing it upcourt.”
The 30-0 start puts Wyomissing in rare air in Berks girls basketball history. The Spartans have matched the best start in county history with Daniel Boone, which started 30-0 in 1990. They are also now one of three 30-win teams, along with Gov. Mifflin in 1991.
“Taking a step back, that’s unbelievable,” McCaffrey said. “It honestly hasn’t sunk in yet. Same with the district titles. Same with the county titles. I think when the season’s over we’ll have more time to reflect on it, but it’s truly amazing.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wyomissing | 18 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 62 |
| Neumann-Goretti | 5 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 52 |
| Spartans (30-0) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Stewart | 15-20 | 3-3 | 0-1 | 2 | 11 | 33 |
| McCaffrey | 5-11 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 1 | 8 | 13 |
| Hardy | 1-5 | 1-8 | 0-0 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Hurleman | 4-7 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Maggs | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Hyde | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 25-46 | 11-19 | 1-5 | 11 | 29/36 | 62 |
| Saints (19-7) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Baker | 5-12 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| Scott | 2-8 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Easley | 7-17 | 7-10 | 1-4 | 5 | 3 | 22 |
| Berry | 3-12 | 0-0 | 3-12 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Richardson | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Coston | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Totals | 18-54 | 8-14 | 6-25 | 10 | 20/23 | 52 |
Turnovers: Neumann-Goretti 11, Wyomissing 17. Team rebounds: Neumann-Goretti 3, Wyomissing 7.
—
Sean McBryan
B.A. in Psychology, Penn State University 2017
M.S. in Communications, Syracuse University 2020
Twitter: @SeanMcBryan
Portfolio: Link
