Top-seeded Wilson shoots past Schuylkill Valley
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
The Berks Girls League No. 1 seed got off to a sizzling start in the BCIAA quarterfinals Saturday night.
Top-seeded Wilson defeated No. 8 Schuylkill Valley 66-20 in West Lawn and advanced to face No. 4 Berks Catholic, which defeated Exeter earlier in the day, in the semifinals Wednesday at Santander Arena.
Sophomore guard Laila Jones scored eight of her 13 points and freshman guard Ryan Leaman had five of her 13 in the first stanza as the Bulldogs (22-1) built a 26-8 lead.
Wilson’s stifling defense neutralized Schuylkill Valley’s offense, which entered Saturday with the second-most 3’s made in the league at 101. The Bulldogs drilled three in the first quarter while the Panthers hit two total.
“I thought we played hard and we shot the ball well,” Wilson head coach Chris Gallo said. “They were excited for the playoffs. I could tell in the last couple of practices and in shootaround this morning.”
Wilson tied a season-high with nine 3’s and its 66 points were a season-high. Nine different Bulldogs scored; Leaman (3), Jones (2), Jasilyn Moncada (2), Hannah Waibel, and Laura Crocona all made a 3.
Moncada is the lone senior starter on the youthful Bulldogs. The four alongside her are all sophomores: Laura Crocona, Violet Houck, Jones, and Emma Williams.
Sophomore Janai Tisdale is the first off the bench, but an injury to the guard gave valuable playing time to freshmen Leaman and Kailani Hardy. Hardy hit the game-winner against Reading High in the Bulldogs’ penultimate league game and Leaman was on fire Saturday.
“Ryan did a great job filling in when Janai was hurt,” Gallo said. “The last couple of weeks her minutes have gone down since Janai’s back. We wanted to push the tempo tonight and I knew I was going to play eight or nine girls to keep us fresh. It was nice to get her in early and she did a really good job.”
The Panthers (15-8) never recovered from the first-quarter onslaught and leading scorer Juliana Stichter was held to seven points, half her season average.. The deficit ballooned to 40-11 at halftime.
Houck scored six of her 12 points in the third quarter as the Bulldogs went up 54-15.
The third matchup of the season against Berks Catholic looms Wednesday; Wilson beat the Saints 43-31 in mid-December and 39-26 in late January.
“The (girls) have off tomorrow to enjoy the Super Bowl,” Gallo said. “Monday we’ll get back to work. It’s really, really difficult to beat somebody three times.”
Schuylkill Valley’s season is not over yet as it is currently slotted at No. 10 in the District 3 Class 4 power rankings, the final qualifier for the tournament.
The Bulldogs are No. 2 in 6A.
