It’s a perfect finish for 25-0 Spartans
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Undefeated Wyomissing was having trouble finding scoring outside of its All-State player Amaya Stewart in the first half of the BCIAA girls basketball championship Friday night at Santander Arena.
Stewart had 13 of the Wyomissing’s 16 first-half points and the Spartans trailed challenger Wilson by five at halftime.
| Past champs | |
| 2024 | Wyomissing |
| 2023 | Wyomissing |
| 2022 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2021 | Berks Catholic |
| 2020 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2019 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2018 | Berks Catholic |
| 2017 | Berks Catholic |
| 2016 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2015 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2014 | Wilson |
| 2013 | Wilson |
| 2012 | Wilson |
| 2011 | Gov. Mifflin |
| 2010 | Reading High |
| 2009 | Reading High |
| 2008 | Wilson |
| 2007 | Reading High |
| 2006 | Wilson |
| 2005 | Schuylkill Valley |
| 2004 | Reading High |
| 2003 | Reading High |
Enter Wyomissing’s unflappable senior Annie McCaffrey, who had 12 of her 16 points in the second half as the Spartans defended their league crown in a 45-36 victory over the top-seeded Bulldogs.
“At halftime we talked about coming back and staying together,” McCaffrey, a University of Massachusetts soccer commit said. “I thought we did that pretty well.”
Friday was only the second time all season the second-seeded Spartans (25-0) faced a halftime deficit, the first being Jan. 10 in a win over West York.
“We were down five to start the second half and she really took that opportunity when they started collapsing down on Amaya,” Wyomissing head coach Aaron Anders said. “She did this last year against them in the semifinals where she scored like eight straight points. She did it again.”
The Spartans defeated the Bulldogs by eight in the BCIAA semifinals last season, a game that drew many parallels to this game. The final score was 43-35. Stewart scored 19 points. McCaffrey had the exact same point total and a game-defining solo run.
McCaffrey scored the first eight points of the half with an array of midrange jumpers and floaters for the Spartans as they tied the game 24-24 with 3:21 left.
Stewart’s free throw with 1:53 left gave the Spartans the lead for the first time since 4:09 in the second quarter; the Bulldogs (23-2) never led again.
“We talked in the locker room about how we’ve been in this situation before,” Stewart said. “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It meant everything for Annie to get going in the second half. We have each other’s backs. We’re here together, might as well lock up and load.”
The Spartans locked up defensively on Wilson’s top scorers Laila Jones and Violet Houck, holding Jones to 1-for-7 shooting and Houck scoreless in the second half. The Bulldogs were held 14 points below their season average.
Wyomissing held a four-point lead heading to the final quarter and sophomore Kacey Maggs’ 3-pointer off Audrey Hurleman’s assist pushed that lead to five with 4:07 remaining.
McCaffrey’s bucket with 2:33 pushed the lead to seven.
Jones hit her lone bucket — a deep 3 — with 57 seconds left to cut the lead to four, but the Spartans closed the game out going 4-for-5 from the line down the stretch.
The Spartans will turn their attention to defending their District 3 crown next, but they’re going to enjoy their second consecutive BCIAA girls basketball title before they get back to work Monday.
“We’re going to celebrate this,” McCaffrey said. “But we’re not going to sit on this for too long. There’s still a lot to play for.”
Wyomissing is ranked No. 2 in the District 3 Class 4A power rankings behind Delone Catholic, which it defeated for the district title last season. The Spartans will host No. 7 Middletown or No. 10 Schuylkill Valley in the quarterfinals Thursday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wyomissing | 9 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 45 |
| Wilson | 7 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 36 |
| Spartans (25-0) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Stewart | 6-17 | 7-10 | 1-4 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| McCaffrey | 6-11 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 2 | 5 | 16 |
| Hardy | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Hurleman | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Maggs | 1-4 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Hyde | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-42 | 13-16 | 2-9 | 4 | 30/39 | 45 |
| Bulldogs (23-2) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Jones | 3-16 | 3-4 | 2-4 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Houck | 3-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 9 | 6 |
| Crocona | 1-5 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Williams | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Moncada | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Hardy | 4-11 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Tisdale | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Leaman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 14-49 | 3-4 | 5-11 | 7 | 23/26 | 36 |
Turnovers: Wilson 17, Wyomissing 19. Team rebounds: Wilson 3, Wyomissing 9.
