Mike Clark-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 23:43:00 +0000

Taylor Koenig is back and that makes Gov. Mifflin a very dangerous team. The Mustangs used a big third quarter to beat Reading 69-57 in Shillington. Koenig, who had knee surgery in November, scored nine of her 22 points in the third period. She’s played in five games and Gov. Mifflin has won four of them. “It’s a hell of a difference. To have her back is what we needed,” emphasized head coach Mike Clark. The 5’7 junior was the Mustangs’ leading scorer last season when she made 48 treys. Koenig was an all-division selection and helped Gov. Mifflin capture its third Berks League championship in the past four years. On Thursday, she hit three triples and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Koenig was fouled twice while attempting 3-pointers in the third quarter and made all six free throws. She connected from beyond the arc to open the final period and put the Mustangs on top 55-40. The trio of Koenig, Anyah Ortiz (24 points), and Shakyla Mayo (15 points) combined for 61 points. “That’s a coach’s dream…and those three don’t mind sharing the ball. All three can shoot the 3, they can get to the basket, and tonight they made their foul shots,” said Clark. Gov. Mifflin entered the night shooting 51% from the charity stripe. They looked like a different team against the (11-6, 6-3) Red Knights. The Mustangs finished 23-28 from the free throw line including 12-14 in the fourth quarter. Ortiz, a 5’5 senior, knocked down 10 of her 12 attempts. Gov. Mifflin had a 16-11 advantage after eight minutes. Laysha Pimentel’s trey gave Reading a 27-25 edge with just under two minutes remaining before halftime. The 5’3 senior provided 14 points off the bench. The Red Knights trailed 30-29 at the break. They were outscored 22-11 in the third period. Heavenly Franklin dropped a season-high 21 points on the Mustangs. The 5’8 senior forward didn’t play the last two seasons for Reading. Franklin’s three-point play pulled the Red Knights within 61-54 with 2:36 to go. Gov. Mifflin sealed the deal from the foul line, while Reading was 11-21 from the stripe. Each team made six 3-pointers. After an (0-4) start, the Mustangs improved to (9-9, 7-2). They’re alone in second place in Division 1 behind Berks Catholic. The Saints are perfect through nine league contests. Clark has won five Berks County titles over his fifteen years as a head coach. He’s (190-92) in eleven seasons in Shillington. Clark believes the county playoffs are going to be exciting. “It’s gonna be a fun tournament. The final four is gonna be tough,” he replied. With Koenig healthy, don’t count out the Mustangs.

Mike Clark-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 10:33:00 +0000

The Gov. Mifflin girls basketball team lost four league games this season and three of those defeats came in Shillington. That didn’t sit well with the Mustangs, a perennial power in Berks County. Head coach Mike Clark reminded his players of one thing, “Our house is Santander.” His words rang true as Gov. Mifflin knocked off rival Wilson 47-34 in the BCIAA championship at Santander Arena. It’s the Mustangs’ third county title in the last four years and record 14th overall. They beat #1 seed and Division 1 champ Berks Catholic 41-40 in the semifinals. Clark emphasized how tough their division was this season. Gov. Mifflin went on a 9-2 run to end the first quarter. The third-seeded Bulldogs trailed 14-7 after eight minutes. Shakyla Mayo, who had the game-winning layup in the semifinals, came out on fire with nine points in the opening period. The 5’6 junior finished with 19 points. Mayo and Elisa Fiore drilled back-to-back treys midway through the second quarter to give the Mustangs a 25-11 advantage. Gia Borelli, one of four senior starters for Wilson, hit a triple at the buzzer. The (17-6) Bulldogs were down 25-14 at halftime. Wilson went scoreless for the first seven minutes of the third quarter before Kelsy Moschak made a jumper. Gov. Mifflin was on top 32-18 entering the final period. The Bulldogs had another scoring drought. This one lasted three minutes and 16 seconds. Clark told me that his game plan was to surround Isis Dojan in the paint and force Wilson to make shots from the perimeter. Dojan was limited to three points. The 6’2 junior had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 blocks against Reading in the semifinals. The Bulldogs finally started connecting from beyond the arc midway through the fourth quarter. Amiyah Nguyen and Borelli nailed consecutive 3-pointers to close the gap to 33-27 with three and a-half minutes remaining. That’s when things got interesting. At least interesting is one word for it. Wilson kept fouling and Gov. Mifflin kept missing; over and over and over again. The (17-8) Mustangs went 13-33 from the free throw line in the final quarter. They were 13-35 overall. Shakyla Mayo was 3-14 from the stripe in the fourth quarter, but she converted a pair of free throws with 44 seconds to go. Sophomore Taylor Koenig followed with two more for a 44-34 lead. Koenig provided eleven points, eight coming in the last quarter. Clark believes her future is very bright. She averages a team-high 13 points. Koenig is tied for the most 3-pointers in Berks County this year with 45. Fiore chipped in with eight points. Clark thought the 5’10 senior improved dramatically from her semifinal performance. Levengood had a team-high eleven points for the Bulldogs. Borelli and Nguyen added eight points apiece. Wilson was 2-5 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs were searching for their tenth county title and first since 2014. Clark talked about the luxury of having five players who can shoot and handle the ball in his lineup. We also discussed how he’s been able to sustain success over a decade at Gov. Mifflin. Clark’s philosophy is to treat freshmen and seniors the same. This was his fifth BCIAA championship. Clark is (181-82) with the Mustangs and (274-100) overall. He guided Oley Valley to a District 3-3A title in 2011 and four straight division championships. The Mustangs and Bulldogs both qualified for the District 3-6A tournament. #11 seed Gov. Mifflin travels to Cumberland Valley on Monday. #9 seed Wilson visits Penn Manor.

Clark – Berks Sports Report

Mike Clark-Gov. Mifflin

Mike Clark-Gov. Mifflin