Taylor Koenig has become a shooting star for Mustangs

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Taylor Koenig’s arrival was supposed to happen last season. As a freshman on a team gunning for a championship, she was ready to contribute.

The stars never aligned. First play was delayed for a month because of COVID. Then Koenig disappeared for another month due to health and safety protocols. Her debut for Gov. Mifflin didn’t come until February, when everyone was gearing up for the playoffs.

“It was hard,” Koenig said. “But I always wanted to watch the team. I think watching them so much actually helped me when I came back. I already knew the style. I knew some of the plays. It gave me more motivation to be better.”

Koenig has made her arrival this season. The sophomore’s 21 points helped fourth-seeded Gov. Mifflin stop No. 5 Brandywine Heights 70-58 in the Berks girls basketball quarterfinals at Shillington Saturday.

Talent always rises to the surface. There was no questioning Koenig’s talent.

“I still think she’s still got some freshman in her,” Mifflin coach Mike Clark said. “But she’s starting to grow. I wish she had played her whole freshman year. This is the player I thought Taylor would be.”

The holiday break is when Koenig started to find her footing and the 3-pointers started to fall. The 5-8 guard averaged 7.2 points during her first six games. She has averaged 14.9 points in the 17 games since. She has emerged as the top scorer in Mifflin’s balanced attack.

Koenig is perfectly suited for Clark’s fire-away style from beyond the 3-point line. She certainly isn’t shy about launching shots.

“I’ve always loved to shoot the ball,” Koenig said. “I’ve loved the feeling when it goes into the net. I always worked on my shot. It’s something I learned from a young age. How to shoot. How to compete.”

Koenig leads the league with 44 3-pointers after dropping in three Saturday. That’s one more than Berks Catholic’s Caraline Herb.

The most challenging part for Koenig last season was the time alone. She wasn’t allowed to participate in practice when play resumed in January. She spent those weeks working out on her own and watching from a distance.

“I shot around all the time,” Koenig said. “I went to the courts. I played against my brother. I played any time I could.”

Once she finally returned, she found her role as the first option off the bench. She appeared in 11 games and scored 46 points. Although that’s not bad for a freshman, it didn’t match Koenig’s hopes when the winter began.

Mifflin is trying to use the Berks playoffs to spark a turnaround. The Mustangs have won four county championships since 2015. Their four league losses this season were their most since 2017-18. The bar has been set high at Shillington.

An interesting matchup between Berks IV champ Brandywine (17-5) and a perennial Berks I power quickly became lopsided. Mifflin led by eight after the first quarter and 17 at halftime.

Shakyla Mayo scored 17 points and Anyah Ortiz added 12. Elisa Fiore had six points, eight rebounds, three steals and helped create the space for Mifflin’s eight 3-pointers.

Dana Wartzenluft scored a career-high 18 points on six 3-pointers and Addison Benner had 15 points for Brandywine, which turned up the pressure in the second half to tighten the score. The Bullets made 14 3-pointers.

Mifflin (15-8) awaits a showdown with top-seeded Berks Catholic, the defending champ, at Santander Arena Tuesday at 8 p.m. The Saints won the first two meetings.

Koenig has settled in for the long haul. She will be a centerpiece for Mifflin, along with Mayo and Ortiz, next season.

Back in December of Koenig’s freshman year, before the pause and the quarantine, Clark pointed her out in practice as a player to watch. 

“I told you,” Clark said. “I said she’s going to be one of the best.”

Koenig lived up to that billing. It just required a little patience.