Wilson flips the script, tops Mifflin in key Berks I girls basketball battle

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Keira Levengood didn’t know exactly how long it had been since Wilson beat Gov. Mifflin in girls basketball. The losses blend together after a while.

Going back to Levengood’s freshman year, the Bulldogs had dropped 7-of-8 in this matchup of perennial powers. That includes defeats in two county playoff games and a state qualifier. 

Flipping that script was essential if Wilson was going to become a county championship contender again. The Bulldogs flipped it Monday night.

Isis Dojan scored a team-high 13 points, made two pressure-packed free throws with 24 seconds left and helped Wilson edge Mifflin 48-45 in a Berks I showdown at Shillington. 

The losing streak against Mifflin, five games to be exact, was over.

“It felt really good because obviously they’re our rival,” Levengood said. “I don’t even remember the last time we beat them. It was just really exciting.”

The most recent Bulldogs win over the Mustangs came on Jan. 6, 2020. Back then Kaya Burkhart was Wilson’s star, Levengood was an up-and-coming sophomore and a pandemic was something you read about in history books.

Wilson has been knocking on the door of this kind of result. It lost to Berks Catholic by three points two weeks ago and to Mifflin by eight points in December. Everyone knows the road to county gold goes through those schools.

“They’re working hard; they’re trying,” Wilson coach Chris Gallo said. “It’s nice to get something like this for some type of satisfaction. Make it worthwhile. You like to see why you’re working.”

If it’s possible for someone to quietly be a two-sport standout at a school like Wilson, Levengood has pulled it off. She was a vital midfielder for the soccer team. She’s a jack-of-all-trades forward for the basketball team.

Levengood is a three-year starter with an unusual set of skills for a player her height. The 5-10 senior can handle the ball like a guard, has a nice jumper and can get to the rim.

“She’s very athletic; she shoots it well,” Gallo said. “She’s actually guarding a lot better. We’ve got her realizing there’s both ends of the floor. She has really good court vision. She passes it really well.”

Levengood slips under the radar because she isn’t a huge scorer. She averages 9.4 points while being a picture of consistency. She has scored between eight and 13 points 12 times in 15 games. While that’s not necessarily exciting, it’s really valuable.

The senior delivered nine points and six rebounds against Mifflin. She even hit her fifth 3-pointer of the season.

“She knows when to be where,” teammate Amiyah Nguyen said. “She knows how to do a little bit of everything. She’s a great help to our team.”

Levengood’s basket with 2:36 remaining pulled Wilson even at 45. Mifflin held the ball for more than 90 seconds on its following possession and came up empty.

Dojan, a matchup problem for most opponents and especially undersized Mifflin, was fouled under the rim when she had a chance for the go-ahead hoop. The 6-2 center made both free throws to put Wilson in front.

Elisa Fiore had a desperation shot from just across halfcourt that missed at the buzzer. Fiore tried to rescue the Mustangs. She shot 6-for-9 from the floor and scored a game-high 15 points.

Mifflin, which relies heavily on the 3-point shot under coach Mike Clark, was 4-for-27 from beyond the arc. The Mustangs missed all seven attempts in the fourth quarter.

“Mike does a really good job with them as far as their philosophy,” Gallo said. “They’re going to do what they’re going to do. They’re not going to waver from it. I was just proud the girls didn’t back down. You knew they were going to keep shooting and they’re going to make them.”

Wilson (6-2, 11-4) moved into a second-place tie with Mifflin (6-2, 11-6) in Berks I. More importantly, the Bulldogs improved their chances of staying ahead of the Mustangs in the power ratings and being on the opposite side of the bracket from Berks Catholic in the county playoffs.

All of that from one result. A result Wilson has wanted badly.

“We haven’t beaten them in a while,” Nguyen said. “We worked hard. We really wanted this win and we needed it. We were tired of losing to them.”