Stopping Amaya Stewart, unbeaten Spartans will be ‘big challenge,’ says Blackhawk coach
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Amaya Stewart and Wyomissing have passed every challenge this season, including a revenge rematch against North Catholic — the team that pummeled the Spartans 60-27 to end their 2023 season.
“We’re going to keep building off right now,” said Stewart, who has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games. “We’re not going to look ahead. It’s not about looking ahead too much into the future. We’re just going to keep building off each other.”
The 6-1 junior center and Wyomissing’s leading scorer at 19.5 points per game has boosted her play in the state playoffs, averaging 23.7 per game. The Spartans have scored over 60 points in their last two wins. They had only done that three times previously.
“She’s a heck of a player,” Blackhawk head coach Greg Huston said of the two-time Berks Player of the Year. “She’s got great size and speed. She’s tough. That’s the big challenge and I don’t think there’s really an easy answer to (stopping her).
“I’ve probably watched seven, eight different teams defend her and everybody has their own thing that they try to do. None of them have looked all that successful.”
Blackhawk, the WPIAL runner-up, gets its crack at Stewart and the Spartans Tuesday at 5:30 at Altoona in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal; the winner makes the trip to Hershey for the state championship Saturday at noon.
If the Spartans (31-0) win they’ll make their first PIAA championship appearance and have the opportunity to be the first Berks Girls League team to win a state title. The winner will face either District 12 champ Audenreid or District 2 champ Scranton Prep.
Wyomissing is the only unbeaten basketball team in the state, girls or boys, and is the first Berks girls team to win its first 31 games.
“We want to keep playing,” junior Audrey Hurleman said. “We just have to keep working hard and win together. It’s been incredible doing this with your best friends on and off the court. It’s been so much fun.”
Hurleman has more than doubled her scoring average since the start of the District 3 Tournament. She averaged 4.1 points through Wyomissing’s first 25 games. In six district and state playoff games she’s averaging 10.5 points. She has reached double figures four times in the last five games; she topped nine points just once in the regular season.
Senior Annie McCaffrey has boosted her scoring, as well. The All-Berks forward averaged 7.3 points during the regular season. In nine games since the start of the Berks League playoffs she is averaging 10.9 points. She had 16 against Wilson in the Berks championship game and 13 in each of the last two games.
“McCaffrey is a good, good player and good athlete,” Huston said. “(Hurleman) is a heck of an athlete as well. So it’s not just (Stewart), you’ve got to find a way to get them all slowed down.”
This is the third time Wyomissing has advanced to the state semifinals; it lost to Delone Catholic in 2004 and Mid Valley in 1981.
The Spartans are hoping the third time’s the charm against the Cougars (25-3), who will be motivated to get back to the state final; they lost to Lansdale Catholic 53-45 last year in the PIAA Class 4A championship game.
“We need to win this one,” Wyomissing head coach Aaron Anders said. “It’s an amazing program that played for the title last year.”
The Cougars fell 40-37 in overtime in the WPIAL championship to North Catholic before ripping off wins against Harbor Creek (54-38), St. Mary’s (63-33), and Fairview (43-19) in the state playoffs. Their only other losses came to McKeesport and Kennedy Catholic in December.
“We have been playing great defense,” Huston said of his Cougars, who allow 28.2 points per game. “We’re hoping that carries over. We think Wyomissing’s going to be better than the last few teams we’ve played.”
Huston took over as Blackhawk head coach this season after 14 seasons coaching the girls at Beaver High. He replaced Steve Lodovico, who coached the Cougars to state titles in 2014 and 2015. The Cougars also won in 1999 and 2000.
Senior 5-9 wing and Mercyhurst commit Alena Fusetti (15.7) leads the Cougars on and off the court.
“She’s a great player, great kid, really hard worker,” Huston said. “She’s an excellent shooter but does a little bit of everything.”
Sophomore 5-10 forward Aubree Hupp (13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) is the second in command. Senior twins Piper (6.2 points) and Haley Romigh are 5-10 guards who provide hustle, defense, and rebounding. Senior 5-6 point guard Andrea Kinger (6.4 points) rounds out the starting lineup.
Senior 5-5 wing Ava Davis, sophomore 5-6 guard Mia Sheeshley, and junior 5-6 guard Ava Pagani are about as deep as the Cougars go off the bench, Huston said.
That means the Cougars will be at the same disadvantage as most other teams that have attempted to stop Stewart this year: They’ll be giving up three or more inches and likely strength in the paint.
“You’ve got to throw multiple people at her,” Huston said. “Maybe you throw some zone out or try to front her. We have some ideas that we’ve been working on in practice and have been talking about it. Sometimes the first quarter is a bit of a feeling out process and you go from there. It’ll be a tough challenge.”
Wyomissing junior point guard Alexis Hardy will be a game-time decision, Anders said. Hardy missed the PIAA quarterfinals with a concussion after a hard fall against Neumann-Goretti in the second round. If she can’t go, freshman Karly Hyde will likely make her second straight start.
Boyertown, which plays in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, is the only Berks girls team to win a PIAA basketball title. Jason Bieber, now the head coach at Brandywine Heights, was the Bears head coach when they won it in 2017.
Berks Catholic was the last Berks Girls League team to appear in a state final, losing to Lancaster Catholic in 2018. Holy Name went to the final in 1993, losing to Cranberry. Each of those teams was coached by Bob Birmingham.
