Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Gov. Mifflin and Wilson kicked off an exciting evening of basketball at Santander Arena. The first of four BCIAA semifinals didn’t disappoint. The third-seeded Mustangs trailed 38-27 with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter. Gov. Mifflin rallied past the second-seeded Bulldogs 60-56. Bella Super, a 5’8 sophomore guard, poured in 25 points. “Hell of a job Bella Super, hell of a job. She’s got the skill set to do that game in and game out,” said head coach Mike Clark. The Mustangs went on a 14-to-4 run to pull within 42-41 late in the third quarter. Brooklyn George splashed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 6:15 remaining to even the score at 46-46. The 5’7 sophomore finished with a dozen points. Super’s steal and layup put Gov. Mifflin on top 51-48 midway through the final quarter. Saray Renninger, a promising 5’10 freshman, hit a triple from the right corner to give the Mustangs a 54-50 cushion. Renninger chipped in with twelve points. Violet Houck’s layup got Wilson within 56-54 with just over one minute remaining. However, Bridget Martin responded with a pair of free throws with 43 seconds to go. The 5’8 sophomore provided eleven points. Kailani Hardy, who scored a team-high 19 points, missed a short shot on the ensuing possession. Martin then found Renninger underneath the basket for an easy bucket to ice it with eight seconds left. Gov. Mifflin fell behind 13-4 early. The (16-8) Mustangs were down 18-13 after eight minutes and 30-23 at halftime. They went 11-for-19 from the foul line, while the Bulldogs were 0-for-1. Wilson connected six times from beyond the arc in the first half, but only twice after halftime. Hardy, a 5’9 sophomore, made three treys. Laura Crocona and sophomore Ryan Leaman each sank two 3-pointers. Crocona ended up with 18 points and Leaman had ten. The (16-8) Bulldogs split with the Mustangs during league play. Gov. Mifflin was without starting center Mia Vasquez due to a medical issue. She averages 10 ppg. Clark has guided the Mustangs to five Berks League championships. This is his 13th year in Shillington. Clark, who has 315 career victories, gives his team the same message before every season. “Just listen to me for 22 games. You get me to Santander [Arena] and I’ll figure something out to get you to the championship game,” he said.
Gov. Mifflin will face fourth-seeded Reading on Friday at 6pm at Santander Arena. The (16-8) Red Knights upset #1 seed and two-time defending champion Wyomissing 40-38. The (20-4) Spartans saw their eight-game winning streak come to a halt. Wyomissing raced out to a 17-8 advantage with three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Reading trimmed its deficit to 17-14 by halftime. The Spartans went in front 30-21 late in the third period. Yamilex Rodriguez hit a pull-up jumper before the buzzer to close the gap to 32-26. The Red Knights opened the fourth quarter with six straight points to tie it up. A runner down the lane by senior Tamyia Collier made it 32-32. “We stuck together and we knew basketball is a game of runs,” replied head coach Rashida Suber. It took Wyomissing three and a-half minutes to get on the board in the final period. A layup by Amaya Stewart was answered by one from freshman Xiani Beatty. Stewart scored again inside for a 36-34 edge with 2:36 to go. The 6’1 Albany commit led everyone with 20 points. Alexis Hardy went 2-for-4 from the foul line to give the Spartans a 38-34 cushion with 1:46 to play. Rodriguez then took charge with consecutive buckets to knot things at 38-38. Audrey Hurleman, who returned on January 28 from a torn ACL, missed a jumper from the right elbow. There was a mad scramble for the loose ball which was won by Beatty. She flipped the ball to Elyssa Spring who fired a long pass down the court that hit Stewart in the back. The ball deflected to Kailani Ocasio who fed Rodriguez for a reverse layup with 15 seconds remaining. “Somehow she got it and she was already determined to get to the basket,” said Suber of Rodriguez. Wyomissing was behind 40-38, but still had time to get a good look. Hurleman threw a pass from mid-court that hit Hardy in stride at the foul line. Hardy drove down the right side of the lane, but missed a layup with four seconds left. The Delaware track and field commit finished with eleven points. The Spartans committed 23 turnovers against Reading’s pressure. “We wanted to keep throwing different schemes at them. I knew if we could pressure their guards, we would be in a good position,” explained Suber. The 2003 graduate piled up 2,111 career points for the Red Knights. She’s in her fifth season as their head coach. Neither team made a shot from beyond the arc on Thursday. Wyomissing was 10-for-19 from the free throw line, while Reading went 4-for-8. Rodriguez, a 5’4 senior guard, had a team-high 16 points. Beatty added eleven points. “She’s a special kid. She’s been around basketball a lot. She has a unique talent,” stated Suber. The Red Knights are searching for their tenth BCIAA championship and first since 2010. They split their regular season matchups with Gov. Mifflin.
