Gov. Mifflin girls top Wilson for third Berks championship in four years (updated with photos)

Two nights after hitting the game-winner to knock out top-seeded Berks Catholic, Shakyla Mayo continued her playoff tear, scoring a game-high 19 points to boost Gov. Mifflin past Wilson 47-34 Friday night in the BCIAA girls basketball championship at Santander Arena.

The title was the third in four years for the fourth-seeded Mustangs (17-8), and their fifth since 2015.

The Mustangs saw their 15-point, fourth-quarter lead shrink quickly when the third-seeded Bulldogs (17-6) got 3-pointers from Keira Levengood, Amiyah Nguyen and Gia Borrelli to make it 33-27. The Bulldogs then began to foul and the Mustangs had trouble putting the game away.

They missed three straight one-and-ones and 11-of-13 attempts in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, yet the Bulldogs never got close than six.

Wilson continued to foul, sending the Mustangs to the foul line an incredible 33 times in the fourth quarter. Mifflin made just 13 of them but still managed to hang onto its lead. Taylor Koenig hit three free throws in the final 33 seconds to stretch the lead back out to double digits.

Koenig finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Elisa Fiore played a key role underneath, grabbing eight rebounds and helping neturalize Wilson’s 6-2 Isis Dojan. Dojan had a game-high 17 rebounds but only three points.

Levengood led Wilson with 11 points.

Mayo, a 5-6 junior, scored nine first-quarter points, including a layup in the final seconds of the first quarter to put Mifflin on top 14-7. It stretched the lead to 14 points in the second quarter as Mayo, Elisa Fiore and Shyanna Mayo hit 3-pointers. The the Mustangs had five 3-pointers in the first half.

The Berks I rivals split their two regular season meetings. Gov. Mifflin won the first game, 54-46 on Dec. 16. Wilson took the rematch 48-45 on Jan. 24.

The Mustangs reached the championship game for the fourth time in five seasons. They won the title 2019 and 2020.

Wilson is back in the championship game for the first time since 2017. The Bulldogs advanced with a 37-34 win over Reading High in the semifinals.

Mifflin beat Berks Catholic 41-40 in the semifinals on Shakyla Mayo’s layup in the final seconds.