Amaya Stewart-Wyomissing

The Wyomissing and Berks Catholic girls basketball teams gave the fans in attendance an early Christmas gift on Monday night. The rivals squared off in a hard-fought game that went down to the wire. Amaya Stewart blocked Madison Langdon’s shot from just past half-court as the buzzer sounded to preserve a 37-34 win. “It was special to be here and having all these fans here,” said Stewart. The 6’1 senior had 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Spartans improved to (7-1). Stewart, who’s committed to Albany, jammed ten points into the third quarter. Wyomissing trailed 8-7 after the opening quarter. It was 16-16 at halftime. The Saints fell behind 31-25 entering the fourth quarter. They responded well with a 9-2 run. Gianna Mirenda’s fast break layup gave Berks Catholic a 34-33 advantage with 2:50 left. “It’s okay to get punched in the mouth. That means we just gotta punch back harder,” replied Stewart. The two-time All-State pick hit a short jumper in the lane to put the Spartans back on top with 1:15 remaining. After a Berks Catholic turnover, Kacey Maggs went 1-of-2 from the free throw line for a 36-34 lead with 29 seconds to go. Molly McFadden couldn’t convert on the other end and the Saints were forced to foul. Alexis Hardy missed both foul shots with eight seconds to play, but Berks Catholic committed another costly turnover. Maggs split a pair of free throws with three seconds left for the final margin. Wyomissing extended its winning streak to six despite going 4-of-11 from the foul line. Maggs and sophomore Karly Hyde contributed six points apiece. Stewart, who’s dominant in the post, has spent a lot of time working on her all-around game. “There’s a lot of things in the archive that people don’t see. I’m excited to see what’s next,” she said. The Saints packed in a zone against Stewart to limit her touches down low. The Spartans made just three 3-pointers. The difference was in the turnover department. Wyomissing forced twenty turnovers while only committing nine. Sydney Corrado had a team-high 13 points for Berks Catholic. The 6’ senior splashed a triple from the left wing to pull the (4-4) Saints within 33-31 early in the fourth quarter. Liv Welker, a junior transfer from Daniel Boone, scored seven of her eight points in the third quarter to keep Berks Catholic in striking distance. All-County point guard Madison Langdon ended up with seven points. The 5’4 senior needs five points to reach 1,000 for her career. The Saints finished 6-of-9 from the charity stripe and connected just twice from beyond the arc. Stewart has enjoyed being part of this backyard rivalry. “It goes on and on and on. I hope it continues to carry on. It’s always gonna be fun. It’s always gonna bring joy to the community,” she emphasized.