Berks girls basketball: Players To Watch

By Jason Guarente Last updated Dec 7, 2021

Alexis Hess averaged 17.5 points and earned All-State recognition last season. (Alexis Hess photo)

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

One All-State selection returns. Two All-Berks picks who helped win a county championship are back. It has the makings of an interesting winter in girls basketball.

Berks Catholic hopes to repeat. Gov. Mifflin hopes to reclaim its crown. Wilson hopes to return to glory. Reading High returns to full strength.

Among the notable storylines will be the influx of talented freshmen ready to make an immediate impact. Some of them are on the list below.

Here are the players to watch, listed by division and in alphabetical order:

Berks I

Gia Borelli, Wilson: Three-year starter who was named all-division as a sophomore. Has connected on 66 career 3-pointers and shares point guard duties with Amiyah Nguyen.
Ashanti Chapman, Reading High: Second-leading scorer for the Red Knights, averaging 8.5 points. Tough to stop off the dribble.
Isis Dojan, Wilson: A 6-2 center who finished with a flourish and will be one of the best bigs in the league. Averaged 10 points in her last six games as a sophomore.
Elisa Fiore, Gov. Mifflin: Senior is a three-year varsity player who averaged 7.8 points and helped the Mustangs go undefeated in league play. Won county championship as a sophomore.
Mackenzie Gordos, Berks Catholic: Guided the Saints to the Berks championship in her first season as a starting point guard. Made defenses pay from the outside with 21 3-pointers.
Caraline Herb, Berks Catholic: All-Berks selection is already one of the county’s all-time great 3-point shooters with 100 made through two seasons. Averaged 11.6 points and is an underrated defender.
Keira Levengood, Wilson: A 5-11 forward who has played varsity for four seasons and was named all-division after averaging 7.4 points as a junior.
Shakyla Mayo, Gov. Mifflin: Junior is a tenacious rebounder and strong all-around player. Can shoot from the outside and handle the ball. Averaged 8 points and made 28 3-pointers.
Anyah Ortiz, Gov. Mifflin: One of the most skilled players in the league was named all-division and averaged 8.8 points as a sophomore. Torched District 3 champ Cumberland Valley with six 3-pointers in the semifinals.
Caroline Reedy, Berks Catholic: All-Berks selection is Saints’ jack-of-all-trades. A strong interior defender and consistent scorer who averaged 11.1 points. Needs 326 points to reach 1,000.
Grace Reedy, Exeter: All-division selection as a freshman when she averaged 6.4 points and made 11 3-pointers.
Kya Washington, Reading High: All-Berks pick as a sophomore when she contributed 12.6 points and helped the Red Knights reach the county final. Only played one game last season.

Berks II

Anna Kaplan, Twin Valley: Terrific defender and three-year varsity player who helped Twin Valley win the division last season. Berks Player of the Year in lacrosse.
Natali Foster, Twin Valley: Four-year varsity player and three-year starter who was all-division and averaged 10.3 points. Berks Player of the Year in field hockey led Raiders to PIAA Class 2A championship.
Ryanna Hightower-Prentice, Muhlenberg: A 6-0 freshman who can shoot from 3 and score in transition. Will make the Muhls better right away.
Rachel Knight, Twin Valley: Stepped into the starting lineup for the first time as a junior and helped the Raiders win Berks II and reach the county semifinals.
Ellie Miller, Conrad Weiser: All-division selection averaged 5.5 points and shot 76% from the foul line. Father, Rich, is Scouts’ new boys coach.
Kailee Richmond, Conrad Weiser: Senior is Scouts’ top returning scorer at 6.9 points and was an honorable mention selection in Berks II.

Berks III

Maddie Campbell, Wyomissing: Hard-nosed defender and valuable ballhandler who helped the Spartans reach the county championship game.
Alexis Hess, Fleetwood: Two-time All-Berks selection was named All-State third team as a sophomore. The presumptive favorite for Player of the Year. A 6-1 guard who finished tied for county lead at 17.5 points and is 365 away from 1,000.
Annie McCaffrey, Wyomissing: After missing her freshman season due to injury, ready to make a major impact. A key part of Spartans’ District 3 champion soccer team.
Julia Kaskey, Fleetwood: Two-time all-division selection averaged 8.8 points and helped the Tigers qualify for the county and District 3 Class 5A playoffs.
Lekaiah Solomon, Schuylkill Valley: Athletic, versatile guard/forward who can rebound and play strong defense. Averaged 5.4 points and helped Panthers reach district playoffs.
Lauren Sterner, Hamburg: All-division soccer player who shared the team lead averaging 6.5 points as a junior.
Amaya Stewart, Wyomissing: Will step into the Spartans’ rotation immediately and is part of a dynamic freshman class that features Audrey Hurleman, Sophia Zeppos and Alexis Hardy.
Madison Ziska, Schuylkill Valley: All-division pick who averaged 9.8 points as a junior. All-Berks golfer this fall and four-time PIAA medalist in track and field last spring.

Berks IV

Kelsey Biehn, Oley Valley: All-division selection averaged 12.1 points, which ranked sixth in the league, as a junior. Needs 331 points for 1,000.
Addison Benner, Brandywine Heights: Freshman will be among the top scorers for the Bullets, who are arguably the favorites to win the division.
Keziah Brantley, Kutztown: Averaged 10.2 points and made 22 3-pointers to help Berks Catholic win county title as a sophomore. Transferred to Kutztown and could rank among the league’s top scorers.
Lindsay Johnson, Tulpehocken: All-division selection as a junior hopes to help the Trojans make some noise in the division.
Kailey Hughes, Antietam: Ready to make up for lost time. Lost her freshman season to injury and her junior season when the Mounts canceled all games because of a shortage of players.
Olivia Moyer, Brandywine Heights: Named all-division as a freshman when she averaged 6.8 points and played in every game.
Emily Savitz, Brandywine Heights: All-division selection averaged 8.6 points as a junior. Leading scorer for District 3 champion soccer team.
Morgan Snyder, Oley Valley: Contributed 5.5 points per game as a freshman. All-division field hockey player who helped Lynx win District 3 and reach the PIAA Class 1A final.