Wyomissing puts perfect record on the line against top-seeded Wilson
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
It all comes down to tonight at the Santander Arena as top-seeded Wilson faces defending champion and No. 2 seed Wyomissing for the BCIAA girls basketball title.
The juicy matchup is one Berks Girls League fans have been wanting with both teams finishing the regular season with 20-plus wins and the Bulldogs giving the Spartans their toughest test in the Berks playoffs last year.
Wyomissing defeated Wilson by eight in the BCIAA semifinals last season.
The Spartans (24-0) will have an even tougher test tonight against the Bulldogs (23-1), who are ranked No. 2 in the District 3 Class 6A power rankings and haven’t lost since two days after Christmas to Dallastown — another team with 20-plus wins.
The Spartans haven’t lost in nearly 11 months; they last fell to Pittsburgh North Catholic in the PIAA quarterfinals, which capped a season in which they won their first Berks and District 3 titles.
“We’re excited as a program, school, and community to be in this position,” Wyomissing head coach Aaron Anders said. “It’s a reflection of where the program is going.”
The Spartans are led by junior forward Amaya Stewart and the Bulldogs by sophomore guard Laila Jones, so these teams could be jostling for Berks Girls League supremacy a year from now, as well.
Both Stewart and Jones were All-Berks selections last season and will be again this year. Stewart was an All-State pick as a sophomore.
Stewart averages 18.8 points per game, second-highest in the league behind Exeter’s Grace Reedy (20.9). Jones’ 16.5 average is fourth behind Reedy, Stewart, and Berks Catholic’s Madison Langdon (16.6).
Stewart is surrounded by top-tier athletes in senior Annie McCaffrey, a University of Massachusetts soccer commit; junior Audrey Hurleman, a University of North Carolina lacrosse commit; and junior Alexis Hardy, an All-State performer in track.
McCaffrey and Hardy have identical 7.0 scoring averages and Hurleman averages 4.5 but their biggest impact comes on the defensive end for a stingy defense that allows only 26.5 points per game.
The Spartans run a 1-3-1 zone with a disruptor — typically Hurleman — at the top and Stewart protecting the rim. It often leads to turnovers and easy buckets, frequently in the form of Hardy beating everyone down the court for a run-out layup.
“It’s going to be a monumental task,” Wilson head coach Chris Gallo said of facing Wyomissing. “Their zone is really, really unique because of how athletic they are.”
Wyomissing also has the second-highest scoring offense in Berks at 50.9 points per game and a plus-24.5 winning margin that’s tops in the league.
Sophomore Kacey Maggs (4.2 points per game, 14 3’s) and freshman Karly Hyde (4.0 points per game, 13 3’s) have played in all 24 games.
Jones is also surrounded by elite athletes in sophomore Violet Houck, who also runs track and plays soccer and lacrosse, and sophomore Laura Crocona, who plays field hockey and lacrosse.
Houck, a 5-11 center, will be key in slowing the 6-1 Stewart. Houck averages 10.6 points per game, has soft hands and a good rapport with Jones in pick-and-roll and dump-off situations.
“Every time (Stewart) touches it we’re looking to double down and there should be weak side help coming,” Gallo said. “She’s an excellent passer too, so we have to be aware of her catching, turning and facing, and hitting that opposite block.”
Emma Williams, a 5-11 sophomore center, will likely see time against Stewart as well, but will open the game guarding McCaffrey.
Crocona averages 6.0 points per game, has 17 treys and is also a good defender.
Freshman Kailani Hardy has burst onto the scene after receiving an increase in playing time when sophomore Janai Tisdale — who’s back to full strength — went down with an injury earlier in the year. Hardy had seven offensive rebounds in the semifinals against Gov. Mifflin.
Hardy has averaged 6.0 points in 21 games and had six points and seven rebounds in the semifinal against Berks Catholic. (Kailani and Alexis Hardy are cousins.)
Senior Jasilyn Moncada is an experienced presence, lockdown defender, and clutch shotmaker for the Bulldogs. Freshman Ryan Leaman has made the most of her opportunities with 11 3’s in 23 games. Senior Kylee Evans and junior McKenna Peacock have also played in 20-plus games.
Wilson has beaten teams by an average of 19 points, is scoring 50.4 points per game and allowing 31.4.
The Spartans defeated Reading High 46-36 in the quarterfinals and Gov. Mifflin 50-42 in the semifinals. The Bulldogs defeated Schuylkill Valley 66-20 in the quarterfinals and Berks Catholic 41-24 in the semifinals.
Wilson seeks its 10th BCIAA title, second-most in Berks history; Wyomissing is shooting for its second and to become the first back-to-back winner since Gov. Mifflin in 2019-20.
“We’re excited to play against one of the top girls basketball programs in the county,” Anders said. “Wilson is a great team and well-coached. It should be a great evening.”
