‘The job’s not finished,’ say Spartans after knocking off Bulldogs to reach title game
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Amaya Stewart and the Wyomissing girls basketball team knew they had something special coming into the season. They planned on hanging the school’s first Berks Girls League championship banner.
The Spartans will get that chance as they return to the county final for the third time in school history Friday against Reading High at Santander Arena at 6.
Stewart had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots and Annie McCaffrey had 16 points and eight rebounds as the second-seeded Spartans defeated third-seeded Wilson 43-35 Tuesday night in a BCIAA semifinal at Santander Arena.
The Spartans will face the fourth-seeded Red Knights, who upset top-seeded Berks Catholic 39-33.
“It feels great,” said Stewart, the sophomore Division I recruit. “But the job’s not finished. We still have a game to get through. I’m happy but the job’s not finished.”
Wyomissing lost county championship games to Holy Name in 2001 and Berks Catholic in 2021. The Spartans (22-2) weren’t shy about their goals during the preseason; they knew they’d be good. Saying and doing are two different things.
The Berks III champs knew they would have to prove they could play with the Berks I big dogs to reach their goal: Gov. Mifflin, Berks Catholic, Wilson or Reading High have won the county championship every year since 2006.
The potential could be seen last season when Stewart averaged 10.5 points. The 6-foot forward expanded every aspect of her game during AAU ball and training during the offseason. She was no longer a traditional post player; she became a shooting and off-the-dribble threat, and her defensive and rebounding prowess burgeoned.
The Spartans returned every starter including sophomores Alexis Hardy, a speedy guard, and Audrey Hurleman, a defensive maestro.
Several poised veterans who played on Wyomissing’s county runner-up team two seasons ago also returned: Seniors Maddie Campbell, Lexi Loeb, Julia Reber, and Kaitlyn Brunner and junior Abby Zechman. McCaffrey, a junior, would’ve been on that team as a freshman had she not been injured.
“We’ve gotten to the point where we can reach our first goal,” Wyomissing coach Aaron Anders said. “I’m proud of these kids because when you play Wilson, you’re playing a well-coached, disciplined team that knows their roles. That’s why it was a dogfight the whole game.”
McCaffrey, who is aggressive down low and can also hit midrange jumpers, scored eight points in the first quarter as the Bulldogs (15-9) focused their defensive attention on Stewart.
“I knew coming into the game they were going to double me,” Stewart said. “But wow, a triple team? Leaving my girl Annie open was a big mistake because she’s also dominant. People forget about her too much.”
Wilson’s freshmen were game: Violet Houck scored six points and Laila Jones four, and it was tied 12-12 after one quarter. That duo will cause headaches in the Berks League for the next three seasons. Jones is adept at finding Houck, who has soft hands and rarely misses the easy buckets.
Wyomissing started the second quarter on a 10-2 run, and Stewart had nine points and two blocked shots in the period as the Spartans took a 25-18 lead into halftime.
Wilson cut the lead to four after the third quarter and Jones’ 3-pointer and driving layup over Stewart’s block attempt cut Wyomissing’s lead to 37-35 in the fourth.
Campbell and McCaffrey calmly sank four straight free throws, then Hardy found Stewart behind the Bulldogs’ ‘D’ to end the game on a 6-0 run.
The future is bright for Wilson, which started three freshmen and played five. Jones finished with 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Houck, who was on the receiving end of many of Jones’ assists, had 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
The Spartans proved they could beat a big school. They’ll get a chance to prove it again Friday against Reading High. If they do, they’ll etch their name on a fresh banner in Wyomissing’s gymnasium.
“This team is so special,” McCaffrey said. “I couldn’t ask for better teammates and it’s just indescribable. We all communicate well and we’re really close off the court. We’re excited.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wyomissing | 12 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 43 |
| Wilson | 12 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 35 |
| Bulldogs (15-9) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Jones | 5-10 | 2-3 | 1-3 | 6 | 4 | 13 |
| Houck | 6-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 10 | 12 |
| Moncada | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Crocona | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robinson | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tisdale | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Williams | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asplen | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Peacock | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-31 | 3-5 | 2-8 | 10 | 18-19 | 35 |
| Spartans (22-2) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Stewart | 9-18 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 11 | 19 |
| Hardy | 1-8 | 1-4 | 0-3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| McCaffrey | 5-9 | 6-10 | 0-0 | 2 | 8 | 16 |
| Loeb | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hurleman | 1-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Zechman | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Campbell | 0-4 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Totals | 16-50 | 11-22 | 0-5 | 10 | 32-37 | 43 |
Turnovers: Wyomissing 19, Wilson 23.
