Maddie Campbell-Wyomissing

It was a historic night at Santander Arena for the Wyomissing girls basketball team. The Spartans defeated Reading 46-28 to win their first Berks League championship. “It feels amazing. It feels even better that we did it together as a team,” said Maddie Campbell. As usual, Wyomissing got the job done with its defense. The (23-2) Spartans are allowing just 28 points per game this season. No other team in the county is giving up fewer points. “The main thing with our defense is that we’re always going at it 100 percent. We’re always hustling for the ball. Every loose ball we want it, it’s ours,” replied Campbell. Second-seeded Wyomissing jumped out to a 14-5 lead after eight minutes. It was 27-16 at halftime. Sophomore guard Alexis Hardy opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer from the left corner. The Red Knights were limited to four points in that period. Fourth-seeded Reading trailed 38-20 entering the final quarter. The (14-11) Red Knights were seeking their first Berks County championship since 2010. They were held scoreless for five minutes and 43 seconds in the last period. Like most of Wyomissing’s opponents, they didn’t have an answer for Amaya Stewart. The 6’1 sophomore finished with a game-high 18 points including eleven in the first half. Stewart dropped 19 in a 43-35 semifinal victory against Wilson. “She’s just gonna keep growing and growing as a player. She’s amazing,” stated Campbell. The Spartans went 10-for-20 from the free throw line, while Reading was 0-6. Each team made a pair of treys. Campbell, a 5’4 guard, chipped in with seven points. She’s one of just three seniors on the roster, along with Lexi Loeb and Kaitlyn Brunner. “It’s definitely more of a leadership position, but everyone has grown so much throughout the past year. We have a lot of returning players. I think everyone has taken on some type of leadership role at some point,” said Campbell. Hardy and 5’9 junior forward Annie McCaffrey scored seven points apiece. McCaffrey is an all-county soccer player who’s committed to UMass. She had a career-high 16 points in the semifinals. Aaron Anders guided Wyomissing to the top of the county in just his third year as head coach. Anders was an all-county selection in 1993 and 1994 at Antietam. He was a player and assistant coach at Alvernia. “[I’m] just so proud of these kids. I need to pinch myself right now,” said Anders.