Former rivals now paired in pursuit of Berks girls basketball championship

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

They were rivals in their younger days. A measuring stick for each other. Amiyah Nguyen at Southern. Gia Borelli at West.

When they shared the same court back then, they knew they were going to be tested. That was a good thing. It made them better.

“I always thought of her as my competition,” Nguyen said. “She’s always been the one I’ve guarded since middle school.”

Borelli and Nguyen, now seniors, probably knew they were destined to share the same backcourt at Wilson. They’ve played on the varsity for three seasons. They’ve started alongside one another for the past two.

The rivalry has turned into camaraderie.

“Now we go through it together,” Nguyen said, “so we play well together.”

Borelli was all-division as a sophomore and has been one of the league’s best shooters. She has made 65 3-pointers in 41 games over the past two seasons.

Nguyen said the duo shares point guard duties. When one needs a rest, the other has the ball. It allows them to stay on the court longer.

Wilson is relying on its guards to steer the Bulldogs toward a place they haven’t been since 2014. A county championship. Those were once routine in West Lawn.

This is a deep and talented group. Expectations are higher than they’ve been recently.

All five starters averaged between 6.2 and 7.6 points. Four of those starters return. Keira Levengood, a 5-11 forward, and Isis Dojan, a 6-2 center, join Borelli and Nguyen. 

Wilson finished 9-9 last season but that’s a little misleading. It was the first season under coach Chris Gallo, so there was a learning curve. The team improved in February and wants to carry that forward.

The Bulldogs won four in a row to clinch a county playoff spot and nearly knocked off runner-up Wyomissing in the quarterfinals. They lost three games by four points or fewer. They played county champ Berks Catholic and Berks I winner Gov. Mifflin close the second time around.

“We didn’t start out as strong as we wanted,” Borelli said. “We lost a lot of games by a bucket or two. That hurt us. We’re hoping to win those games this year. We don’t have to adjust to a new coaching system. We know what he wants and expects. That’s an advantage for us.”

The same roadblocks remain. BC and Mifflin are the favorites. Wilson is a challenger.

“I think we have a chance to be OK but any given night, with COVID and with injuries, you just don’t know,” Gallo said. “A lot of things have to go well for you to fulfill your expectations.”

Dojan scored in double figures in four of the last six games. She will be a handful to defend inside. Levengood is a great all-around athlete who was a standout midfielder with Wilson’s county championship soccer team. Jasilyn Moncada and Elyse Norman will play important roles.

Gallo said he expects the scoring to be balanced again and defense remains a centerpiece for the Bulldogs, like it was during their championship days. They allowed 35.3 points per game. Only Twin Valley and Berks Catholic allowed fewer. 

Borelli and Nguyen are headed into their last winter on the same court. A lifetime has led them to this moment.

Whether or not Wilson can climb to the top of the county is the question the Bulldogs must answer. They hope they’re ready.

“We definitely want to bring back the trophy and cut down the nets,” Borelli said. “It’s something we want at Wilson — to win championships. It’s something we do a lot. We haven’t done it in basketball in a little bit.”