Amaya Stewart scores 24 as unbeaten Wyomissing holds off Reading upset bid
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Amaya Stewart and No. 2 seed Wyomissing overcame its first obstacle in defending the Berks Girls League crown Saturday afternoon with a 46-36 victory over visiting Reading High.
The Spartans will play third-seeded Gov. Mifflin, which defeated Oley Valley 59-54 Saturday, in the BCIAA semifinals Wednesday at Santander Arena.
Stewart had 24 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks as the undefeated Spartans held off the shorthanded Red Knights, who were without their second-leading scorer Yamilex Rodriguez due to a hand injury.
Reading’s season is over as it won’t qualify for the District 3 tournament.
The seventh-seeded Red Knights (10-13) came out spirited to start the game and jumped to a 7-2 lead after Bianca Seabury drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
The shots weren’t falling for the Spartans, but they didn’t panic. They’ve been here before. They kept the game plan simple the rest of the way: hunker down defensively and play as a team. Positive results eventually showed.
“Defense is where we come back collectively as one and stay together, always,” Stewart said. “We always lean on our defense when our offense isn’t working.”
(PhilMarPhoto)
Wyomissing (23-0) came into Saturday allowing a league-low 25.3 points per game. Reading High went over that total but the Spartans held the Red Knights 10 points below their average of 46.8.
The Red Knights like to make the game frantic and speed teams up to play at their pace. That tactic was effective until the Spartans’ frenetic defense started making it backfire. Reading High had 23 turnovers to Wyomissing’s 15.
“Defense is our constant,” Wyomissing head coach Aaron Anders said. “There are going to be times when our shots aren’t falling. My concern is if we have a game plan and we don’t do it.
“We got a little hodgepodge and started playing one-on-one instead of moving the ball, getting to our spots, and cutting with purpose. They took care of it, did what they needed to do, and that’s why we won.”
Stewart had eight of the Spartans’ nine first-quarter points. Annie McCaffrey’s offensive rebound and assist to Stewart just before the buzzer made it 9-9 heading to the second quarter.
Wyomissing held the Red Knights to two second-quarter points, which came on Mariah Ruiz’s bucket with 4:22 remaining.
Stewart and McCaffrey each picked up their fourth foul in the third quarter and sat for a big chunk of the quarter after the Spartans had built a 26-13 lead. Reading High’s Tamyia Collier scored seven points in the quarter to keep the Red Knights afloat; they trailed 28-21 going into the fourth.
Kacey Maggs hit a 3-pointer to start the final quarter, pushing Wyomissing’s lead back to 10. The Spartans’ lead remained at nine or larger until Collier converted an and-one with 3:32 left that made it 37-29 and commenced the beginning of the Red Knights’ final push.
Nyla Nunez got her first minutes of the game and hit a runner, Elyssa Spring took a charge, and Nunez drilled a 3 to put the Red Knights within striking distance at 38-34.
Again, Stewart and the Spartans didn’t panic; they’re the defending county champions.
Stewart and Collier, who each had 10 points in the final period, exchanged buckets before Maggs was fouled with 1:42 left in the game and Wyomissing’s lead still at four. Maggs hit the front end as Stewart took a deep breath awaiting the second free throw, which missed.
“It’s something I do all the time on the court to calm myself down,” Stewart said. “Take a deep breath and let everything else go. It’s just me and my teammates and the rim. That’s all I’m focused on. I’m not worried about the outside noise.”
Stewart secured the offensive rebound and converted the putback, the defense got a stop, and Maggs hit McCaffrey for a layup to seal a trip to the semifinals against the Mustangs, who have won more county titles than any girls program in Berks history. Stewart is looking forward to that match-up.
“We just continue to have fun and focus on the next game,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t matter who’s on the other team and what their personnel is like. We focus on how we’re going to play and how we’re going to come out. That’s what determines the outcome.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Reading High | 9 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 36 |
| Wyomissing | 9 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 46 |
| Red Knights (10-13) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Collier | 7-13 | 7-7 | 0-0 | 2 | 5 | 21 |
| Ruiz | 2-10 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
| Seabury | 1-5 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Bradley | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Spring | 1-9 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
| Ocasio | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ortega | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hutchinson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gomez | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gaskins | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Laws | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nunez | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Totals | 13-54 | 8-11 | 2-7 | 3 | 34/44 | 36 |
| Spartans (23-0) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Stewart | 10-23 | 4-4 | 0-2 | 1 | 16 | 24 |
| Hardy | 2-5 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| McCaffrey | 3-10 | 2-4 | 0-2 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Hurleman | 0-2 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Maggs | 1-4 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Hyde | 0-8 | 2-4 | 0-4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Anders | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 16-52 | 13-26 | 1-13 | 7 | 32/39 | 46 |
Turnovers: Reading High 23, Wyomissing 15. Team rebounds: Reading High 10, Wyomissing 7.
