Youth is served as Wilson girls knock off Mifflin in Berks semifinal
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Wilson’s impressive freshmen class rose to the occasion against the defending Berks Girls League champs Saturday night in a BCIAA quarterfinal in West Lawn.
Freshmen Laila Jones and Violet Houck each scored 16 and freshman Laura Crocona had 11 as the third-seeded Bulldogs defeated sixth-seeded Gov. Mifflin 55-44 to move on to a semifinals date with second-seeded Wyomissing.
The Mustangs defeated the Bulldogs for the county title last season.
“It feels good,” Jones said. “They had the chance to challenge (their seeding) and they said they were right where they wanted to be. Everyone was asking me if I thought we were going to win throughout the week and I was like, ‘Yeah, I think we’re going to take this.’
“I’m so grateful that we get to play Tuesday at Santander Arena. We are a young team and it’s going to be our first big opportunity.”
The return of the 5-10 Houck, who injured her knee in the fourth game of the season and returned Jan. 23, has been critical for Wilson. The Bulldogs (15-8) are 6-1 and have won six in a row since her return.
Houck scored half of her points in the third quarter when Wilson pushed its lead to 16. Many of those buckets came off dishes from Jones, who finished with eight assists.
“She sees the court so well,” Houck said of the freshman point guard. “She’s such a good ball handler. She can take it herself but she also looks for everybody else.”
Jones said the two have developed a strong chemistry after playing together for a long time.
“She knows how upset I get when she doesn’t catch my passes,” Jones said with a smile.
The Mustangs (10-13) stormed back in the fourth quarter as senior Shakyla Mayo scored seven of her game-high 21 points and junior Taylor Koenig hit two 3’s. After the Bulldogs went up 44-28 with 5:27 left in the game, Mifflin went on a 13-0 run to get within three with 2:13 left.
No problem for these poised freshmen: Wilson ended the game on an 11-3 run with Jones, Houck, and Crocona combining for 13 of Wilson’s points in the final quarter.
“We just stayed positive,” Crocona said. “You can’t think the game’s over. It’s never over until the clock is at double zeroes. We regrouped. We never stop fighting and don’t ever give up.”
Both teams started the game tight and struggled to get any offense going; Wilson led 7-5 after the first quarter and 18-17 at halftime. The Bulldogs outscored Mifflin by 12 in the third before the Mustangs’ last-gasp run in the fourth.
“No matter what we tried to do before the game, they still came out a little tight,” Wilson head coach Chris Gallo said of his young squad. “I think the first two shots were airballs. But then we settled in. I’ve been proud of them all year because they’ve battled and had to work through things. There was no learning curve.”
Defense has been Wilson’s strength this season — the Bulldogs allowed the fourth fewest points per game in Berks — but it’s the offense clicking at the right time that has made them a championship threat. They have scored 53 or more points in their last four games, a figure nearly 10 points higher than their season average.
The loss ended Gov. Mifflin’s season; it will not qualify for the District 3 Tournament.
Wilson’s focus now shifts to Wyomissing, which has lost only twice this season. Gallo and the Bulldogs watched the Spartans defeat Exeter 59-26 earlier in the day; the Spartans and head coach Aaron Anders were in West Lawn Saturday to watch their next opponent.
With all five starters from last year’s team gone Wilson didn’t figure to return to the playoffs, much less the league semifinals.
“I don’t think anybody thought we’d make it this far,” Houck said. “But it feels good that we are proving people wrong.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 7 | 11 | 20 | 17 | 55 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 5 | 12 | 8 | 19 | 44 |
| Bulldogs (15-8) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Jones | 4-7 | 6-8 | 2-4 | 8 | 6 | 16 |
| Houck | 8-12 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Moncada | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Crocona | 3-11 | 4-6 | 1-7 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Robinson | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Tisdale | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Williams | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kruper | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maletto | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asplen | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peacock | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 20-43 | 12-19 | 3-12 | 12 | 20-23 | 55 |
| Mustangs (10-13) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Koenig | 4-12 | 0-0 | 3-8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Mayo | 8-16 | 5-6 | 0-5 | 2 | 8 | 21 |
| Ortiz | 2-8 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Witman | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Richardson | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Estrada | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vazquez | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Miley | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Eustache | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Armstrong | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 16-44 | 7-13 | 5-20 | 9 | 29-33 | 44 |
Turnovers: Wilson 17, Gov. Mifflin 22.
