Top players to watch, emerging stars, for Berks girls basketball in 2023-24
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Top 10 Players to Watch in girls basketball for the 2023-24 season:
Amaya Stewart, junior, Wyomissing
The reigning Berks Player of the Year and 6-1 forward transcended her game as a sophomore, boosting her scoring average by nearly five points and leading the Spartans to their first county and district titles in school history.
Grace Reedy, senior, Exeter
The reigning Berks Girls League scoring champ at 22.3 points per game will reach the 1,000-point mark around the Eagles’ fifth game next season if she continues scoring at that rate. The 5-10 All-Berks guard has a shot to catch Exeter’s all-time leading scorer Cortney Crocket, who scored 1,389 points.
Laila Jones, sophomore, Wilson
Jones burst on to the Berks Girls League scene as a freshman scoring 13.4 points per game and leading the Bulldogs to the BCIAA semifinals. Wilson was one of only seven teams to either beat or lose to Wyo by only single digits. Jones will also have classmate Violet Houck, a 5-11 post, back healthy for a full season.
Morgan Snyder, senior, Oley Valley
The Penn State field hockey commit is pretty good at basketball, too. Other than Reedy, Snyder is the closest to 1,000 points, with 667 career points. The guard garnered All-Berks honors after scoring 15.9 points per game and leading the Lynx to a 15-7 record. She’ll aim to lead Oley to the playoffs next year.
Taylor Koenig, senior, Gov. Mifflin
Koenig’s junior season wasn’t up to her or the Mustangs’ standards, as she played in only 10 games after a knee injury. The 2022 Berks champs finished with a losing record and first-round county playoff exit. Koenig will be chomping at the bit to return Gov. Mifflin to the top of the county. She averaged 12.2 points and hit 19 3’s this season after a sophomore campaign consisting of a 12.9 average and 48 3’s.
Madison Langdon, junior, Berks Catholic
The Saints guard pipeline continues with Langdon following in the footsteps of Caraline Herb, who followed in the footsteps of Caroline Reedy. Langdon scored 5.4 points as a freshman and stepped her game up alongside Herb in the backcourt last season. She was the primary ballhandler and scored 11.3 points per game, second to Herb. The likely uptick in scoring as an upperclassman could have Langdon joining Reedy and Herb in the 1,000-point club.
Yamilex Rodriguez, junior, Reading High
Rodriguez was the leading scorer on the Red Knights’ county runner-up team at 9.6 points per game. Reading loses leader Ashanti Chapman to graduation but should be in the mix with the return of three of the top four scorers in Rodriguez, Heaven’Li Franklin, and Tamyia Collier. Rodriguez enters next season with 431 career points, third among juniors.
Natane White, senior, Schuylkill Valley
The seemingly unflappable White helped the Panthers return to the county playoffs after she was the only starter back from a team that went 20-4. White, who has played significant minutes since her freshman year, led the way with a 13.0 scoring average. White hit 46 3’s this season, third most in the league.
Addison Benner, junior, Brandywine Heights
The Bullets have gone 33-17 with two District 3 playoff appearances and a PIAA playoff appearance in Benner’s first two seasons. The 5-10 guard averaged 14.1 points her freshman season and 13.2 this year. Now the goal for Benner and the Bullets will be to advance deeper in the Berks playoffs, where Brandywine has fallen in the quarterfinals the last two seasons.
Hailey Kilgore, sophomore, Twin Valley
Kilgore was under the radar playing on a 4-18 team but her statistics speak for themselves. The freshman averaged 10.5 points, 14th in the league. That average was second among freshmen, behind only Jones. Kilgore also hit 37 3’s — sixth most in Berks — behind the likes of Herb, Wyomissing senior Lexi Loeb, White, Reedy, and Fleetwood senior/Kansas State commit Alexis Hess.
Others to watch:
(PhilMarPhoto)
Sydney Corado, junior, Berks Catholic
Hailie Edwards, junior, Hamburg
Amelia Gassert, junior, Hamburg
Alexis Hardy, junior, Wyomissing
Ryanna Hightower-Prentice, junior, Muhlenberg
Audrey Hurleman, junior, Wyomissing
Annie McCaffrey, senior, Wyomissing
Molly McFadden, junior, Berks Catholic
Dana Messner, senior, Oley Valley
Jasilyn Moncada, senior, Wilson
Olivia Moyer, senior, Brandywine Heights
Juliana Stichter, senior, Schuylkill Valley
Ryanne Wheeler, senior, Oley Valley
Emerging players:
Avery Baransky, junior, Tulpehocken
Tamyia Collier, junior, Reading High
Laura Crocona, sophomore, Wilson
Sophia Fernandez, junior, Muhlenberg
Jade Fitzgerald, freshman, Kutztown
Meredith Fylypowycz, junior, Exeter
Ashleigh Guers, junior, Hamburg
Violet Houck, sophomore, Wilson
Julia Lassandro, sophomore, Schuylkill Valley
Shayna Morales, junior, Hamburg
CC Reali, junior, Schuylkill Valley
Sydney Spang, junior, Conrad Weiser
Liv Welker, sophomore, Daniel Boone