Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
It’s a shot that Bella Super will remember for a long time. “I was shocked. That’s a good memory,” she replied with a smile. Super’s heave from half-court banked in off the glass as the buzzer sounded. The incredible shot pulled Gov. Mifflin within 27-24 of Cedar Crest at halftime in Shillington. “It was really exciting. I knew we needed that shot. I feel like it added to our momentum in the second half,” explained Super. The Mustangs outscored the Falcons 15-to-7 in the fourth quarter for a 55-47 victory on Wednesday night. Super and Bridget Martin finished with 18 points apiece. Ja’Tiyah Case added nine points for the (16-5) Mustangs. They’ve won four in a row and eight of their last nine contests.
Cedar Crest dropped its fourth consecutive game. The (12-10) Falcons were without their leading scorer and top perimeter threat. Elli Malinoski, a 5’10 sophomore, didn’t play due to a left leg injury. She’s averaging 13.6 points and has hit 37 triples this year. Head coach Ashli Shay is hopeful that Malinoski will return on Monday for the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs.
Cedar Crest got an unexpected boost off its bench. Paige Vandett made three 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Falcons built a 27-17 advantage. The 5’6 sophomore contributed a dozen points, all from beyond the arc. Vandett entered the game with seven points in the entire season. Cedar Crest drained nine treys against Gov. Mifflin’s zone defense. Ryan Stopper, a 5’7 sophomore, connected three times from beyond the arc. She chipped in with ten points. Colgate commit Kaila Francis had a team-high 17 points. The 6’1 senior center reached 1,000 career points by sinking a free throw with 2:25 left in the third quarter. It was even at 40-40 with eight minutes remaining.
The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run over the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Case knocked down a long jumper in between layups by Brooklyn George and Martin. The Falcons were limited to two points for nearly seven minutes in the final period. “We knew we had to front the middle. We forced a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter,” noted Super. Eight of Cedar Crest’s 21 turnovers came in the last quarter. A 3-pointer by sophomore Ali Groff made it 49-47 with 49 seconds to go. Martin then split a pair of free throws. She missed her second attempt, but Saray Renninger grabbed a critical offensive rebound. Super was fouled with 43 seconds on the clock and went 2-for-2 from the stripe. After a turnover by the Falcons, Super converted one of her two foul shots for a 53-47 cushion with 34 seconds left. George came up with a steal with 20 seconds to play.
Gov. Mifflin ended up 22-of-29 from the free throw line, while Cedar Crest was 4-for-8. Super made seven of her eight attempts and Martin was 9-for-15. Renninger, a 5’10 sophomore, was perfect on her six foul shots. Super was responsible for three of the Mustangs’ five 3-pointers. They outscored the Falcons 31-to-20 in the second half.
Gov. Mifflin is the #2 seed in the BCIAA playoffs. The Mustangs host seventh-seeded Oley Valley at noon on Saturday. The winner heads to Santander Arena in Reading for the Berks County semifinals on Wednesday. “Our goal is to get there every year. That’s what we look forward to. That’s really exciting,” emphasized Super. Gov. Mifflin has claimed a record 14 Berks League championships. Wilson is the #1 seed in this year’s tournament. The (20-2) Bulldogs went undefeated in league play. “Wilson is a talented team. We have to focus on crashing the boards. We don’t have a deep bench so we have to really work on our stamina and keeping up with their speed. They’re a really fast team,” acknowledged Super. The 5’7 junior is already up to 1,217 points. Super can score in a variety of ways, but the half-court shot on Wednesday was the first of her career.