girls – Berks Sports Report

BCIAA Wrestling Championships-Girls

Paul Roberts — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 04:22:54 +0000

85 girls competed in the BCIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament this year. The event was held at Reading’s Geigle Complex and came to a close on Saturday evening. The Red Knights finished atop the team standings. Here are the results of the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners!

100 pounds:

Shadel (Exeter) pinned Spencer (Wilson)

106 pounds:

Dodson (Exeter) pinned Spilker (Muhlenberg)

112 pounds:

Yerger (Gov. Mifflin) pinned Jones (Schuylkill Valley)

118 pounds:

Foscone (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Boyer (Kutztown)

124 pounds:

Becht (Schuylkill Valley) pinned Frederick (Kutztown)

130 pounds:

Lubenow (Exeter) pinned Foreman (Hamburg)

136 pounds:

Gonzalez (Reading) pinned Petrie (Hamburg)

142 pounds:

Nguyen (Wilson) pinned Rosario (Reading)

148 pounds:

Borreli (Tulpehocken) pinned Tillman (Wilson). Borreli was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

155 pounds:

Nemes (Hamburg) pinned Schaeffer (Hamburg)

170 pounds:

Rivera (Reading) pinned Crespo (Schuylkill Valley)

190 pounds:

Tellez (Reading) pinned Reyes (Reading)

235 pounds:

Strunk (Hamburg) pinned Morales (Berks Catholic)

Lauren Williams-Twin Valley

Paul Roberts — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:36:57 +0000

Twin Valley sophomore Lauren Williams was missing most of her shots while warming up for a key Division 2 matchup at Conrad Weiser. When the game started, however, the 5’7 guard was on fire. Williams scored nine of her career-high 16 points in the opening quarter of a 55-50 victory at Robesonia. “It was exciting, our team brought energy. It was a really good game,” she said. Hailey Kilgore, who leads the Raiders at 14 ppg., picked up two fouls in the first five minutes. Williams stepped up and helped Twin Valley build a 17-12 advantage after eight minutes. The Raiders were on top 32-28 at halftime and 46-39 entering the fourth quarter. Williams banked in a jumper to make it 49-43 with four and a-half minutes remaining. Alex Trevena responded with the last of her four 3-pointers for the Scouts. Trevena, a 5’7 senior guard, ended up with 14 points. She’s committed to Kent State for softball. Lauren Grabosky finished off a fast break to get Conrad Weiser within 49-48. The 6’ senior center went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with two and a-half minutes left. It stayed 51-49 until Gisselle Feliciano was fouled with 47 seconds to go. The senior guard split a pair of free throws. Twin Valley junior guard Ellie Kaplan sank two clutch foul shots with 19 seconds to play. She then partially blocked Trevena’s tying 3-point attempt from the left wing. Kaplan, a Syracuse lacrosse commit, provided five points off the bench. Hailey Kilgore sealed the deal with two free throws with five seconds remaining. The 5’7 junior chipped in with eight points. The Raiders went 15-of-18 from the foul line, while the Scouts were 15-of-24. Conrad Weiser missed five free throws in the final quarter. Geniva Paul had a game-high 17 points. The talented 5’10 sophomore scored 13 points in the first half. Grabosky contributed eight points and sophomore guard Dylan Bossler had six off the bench. Twin Valley snapped Conrad Weiser’s five-game winning streak. The (11-3, 4-0) Raiders moved two games ahead of the (9-3, 2-2) Scouts in the division standings. “It was really important. We still have to stay focused. We have a tough schedule ahead, but it was a really good win,” noted Williams. She and junior Olivia Schmittinger entered the night averaging 6.5 points apiece. They combined for 28 points on Tuesday. Five of Schmittinger’s twelve points came in the third quarter. Freshman Olivia Kilgore, Hailey’s sister, had seven points. Twin Valley has turned things around after going (7-15, 4-7) a season ago. The Raiders are currently fourth in the District 3-5A power rankings in Matt Hahn’s first year as head coach. “I think we have more chemistry than we had last year,” explained Williams.

“Roberts Rankings”-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 16:21:03 +0000

As we get ready to turn the page to 2025, it’s a good time to look at where things stand in the Berks League. Twin Valley and Conrad Weiser enter my new rankings. The Raiders and Scouts have a combined record of (17-4). They took the place of Schuylkill Valley and Brandywine Heights. Oley Valley is a team to watch in Division 4. The Lynx are off to an (8-3) start.

Wyomissing remains on top of my poll. The Spartans are riding a six-game winning streak and are expected to get Audrey Hurleman back soon. The North Carolina lacrosse commit has been out with a knee injury. Amaya Stewart, the two-time Berks County Player of the Year, is averaging 18 points. Wyomissing hosts Twin Valley on Thursday.

Gov. Mifflin has moved up three spots in my rankings. The Mustangs are unbeaten in league play at (4-0). They cruised past Berks Catholic by 20 points and escaped Wilson with a 47-45 victory. Gov. Mifflin suffered setbacks to Central York and York Catholic over the weekend. Sophomore guard Bella Super is providing 18 ppg.

Wilson has played a brutal schedule that included Cardinal O’Hara, Emmaus, Parkland, Dallastown, and Cedar Crest. Things are looking up, however, as the Bulldogs have won four of their last five contests. Kailani Hardy has been as advertised. The sophomore is putting up 16 points a night.

Reading knocked off Berks Catholic 56-42 in mid-December, but then fell at home to Wilson by 18 points. The Red Knights have a big test coming up at Gov. Mifflin on January 7th. Senior guard Yamilex Rodriguez is averaging 14 points per game.

Berks Catholic dropped a couple of spots in my poll. It’s important to note that the Saints have had an extremely challenging schedule. They lost a hard-fought battle at rival Wyomissing 37-34 before Christmas. Berks Catholic took down Wilson by ten points three weeks ago. Those two contests showed that the Saints can play with anyone in the county. On Friday, senior point guard Madison Langdon reached 1,000 career points in a 40-32 win over Mount St. Joseph Academy at Wildwood.

Twin Valley is getting nearly 15 ppg. from junior Hailey Kilgore. The Raiders opened some eyes by defeating Exeter 52-37. Twin Valley’s only losses came against Cedar Crest and Trinity by a total of eleven points. The Raiders travel to Robesonia on January 7th for a key Division 2 matchup with Conrad Weiser.

Speaking of the Scouts, they’ve won eight out of ten under new head coach Chris Kline. Conrad Weiser beat Oley Valley, Exeter, and Schuylkill Valley during its current four-game winning streak. The victory over the Panthers was by 19 points. The Scouts did get tripped up by Wilson on December 13th by 20 points.

Exeter fell two spots in my rankings. The Eagles’ record won’t impress you, but they’ve won four of their last six games. Keep in mind that four of Exeter’s losses were by five points or less. The Eagles could easily be above the .500 mark with a few breaks.

Without further ado, here is my new poll for the Berks Girls Basketball League. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

“The Great 8”

1.Wyomissing (7-1)

2.Gov. Mifflin (6-3)

3.Wilson (6-5)

4.Reading (8-4)

5.Berks Catholic (5-5)

6.Twin Valley (9-2)

7.Conrad Weiser (8-2)

8.Exeter (4-7)

Amaya Stewart-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 15:14:01 +0000

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.

Gov. Mifflin holds off Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:12:53 +0000

How did the Gov. Mifflin girls basketball team get out of West Lawn with a win? “That’s a good question,” replied Mustangs’ head coach Mike Clark with a laugh. Gov. Mifflin beat rival Wilson 47-45 in a nailbiter on Monday night. “The kids gutted it out…I don’t know how we actually pulled it out,” said Clark. He’s in his 13th season with the Mustangs and recently surpassed 300 career victories. Clark went (93-18) over four years at Oley Valley which included a District 3 championship in 2011. His Mustangs got all they could handle from a short-handed Bulldogs squad. All-County point guard Laila Jones is out with a torn ACL and All-Division forward Violet Houck didn’t play due to a hamstring injury. The 5’11 junior is expected back soon. Wilson trailed 14-7 in the first quarter before scoring the last five points of the period. Ryan Leaman hit a jumper from the left wing at the buzzer that was ruled a 3-pointer, although video showed that her feet were inside the line. Bella Super had a dozen points in the first half as Gov. Mifflin took a 27-24 lead into the break. Laura Crocona, a 5’7 junior, scored eight of her eleven points in the third quarter. The Bulldogs were down 39-38 entering the final period. Leaman drilled a trey from the right wing to put Wilson on top 45-42 with five and a-half minutes remaining. The 5’7 sophomore started in place of Houck and provided nine points. Kailani Hardy, an electric 5’9 sophomore, finished with a team-high 13 points. Both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes until Super connected from beyond the arc to even it up at 45-45. Her 3-pointer from the right wing rattled around, popped up in the air, and fell through the net with 2:40 left. The 5’8 sophomore had a game-high 20 points. “Sometimes she played out of control, but she also made some good shots,” noted Clark. Bridget Martin fired a nice bounce pass to Mia Vasquez on the left block with 59 seconds to play. Vasquez was fouled and sank both free throws for a 47-45 advantage. “That was great,” said Clark about his 5’10 senior center. Vasquez was in foul trouble in the first half when the Mustangs struggled to rebound. They start three sophomores and a freshman. Hardy missed a driving attempt to tie the game, but Gov. Mifflin committed a turnover on the ensuing possession. Janai Tisdale was tied up while trying to drive down the right side of the lane with six seconds remaining. The arrow was in the Bulldogs’ favor, however, Brooklyn George stole the inbounds pass under the basket. George, a 5’6 sophomore, contributed ten points including two of the Mustangs’ five 3-pointers. Martin and Vasquez added seven points apiece. The (5-1) Mustangs went 8-of-14 from the free throw line, while the (2-4) Bulldogs were 8-of-12. The two schools are separated by just a few miles. “You can throw the records out when they play,” stated Clark.

“Roberts Rankings”-Girls Basketball

Paul Roberts — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:41:13 +0000

Can Wyomissing pull off a three-peat? That’s one of the big questions in the Berks County Girls Basketball League this winter. The season is just underway and it should be an exciting one. A handful of teams are legitimate contenders for the county title. Parity could be a word that is used often over the next three months. Seven squads from the Berks League qualified for the District 3 playoffs a season ago, but just two advanced to the state tournament. There are several new head coaches and emerging stars this year.

The Spartans sit atop my poll which shouldn’t come as a surprise. They’re coming off a (31-1) campaign and have claimed back-to-back Berks County and District 3 crowns. Yes, their loss at Hazleton over the weekend was ugly. Keep in mind, however, that seniors Alexis Hardy and Audrey Hurleman didn’t play against the defending District 2-6A champs. Hurleman, a North Carolina lacrosse commit, is expected back in January after recovering from a knee injury. Wyomissing still has the top player in the county in Amaya Stewart. The 6’1 Albany commit is a two-time All-State selection who averaged 19.5 points per game as a junior.

Laila Jones will be sorely missed in West Lawn. The two-time All-County pick is out with a torn ACL. The flashy point guard led the Bulldogs to a (24-5) mark last season. New head coach Matt Raquet still has some tremendous all-around athletes to work with in juniors Laura Crocona and 5’11 Violet Houck. You will be hearing a lot about 5’9 sophomore Kailani Hardy. She dropped 25 points in Wilson’s season opening loss to Emmaus. Hardy can score at all three levels.

Berks Catholic returns four starters who should be motivated after finishing with a (12-13) record. Congratulations to Bob Birmingham who picked up career victory #650 on Saturday. This is his 36th year as a head coach. Madison Langdon, Sydney Corado, and Molly McFadden have been household names at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium for the past three seasons. Langdon earned All-County status as a junior when she averaged 16.5 ppg. The 5’4 point guard knocked down 49 treys and is closing in on 1,000 points. Daniel Boone transfer Liv Welker will provide a boost for the Saints. The 5’10 junior scored 10 ppg. for the Blazers.

Reading and Gov. Mifflin are two dangerous teams that shouldn’t be overlooked. The Red Knights return a pair of double digit scorers in seniors Tamyia Collier and Yamilex Rodriguez. Freshman guard Xiani Beatty will be an impact player at the Geigle Complex. The Mustangs have plenty of young talent as well. Bella Super, Brooklyn George, and Bridget Martin return for their sophomore seasons. Super provided a dozen points a night last year and connected 34 times from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Saray Renninger has a bright future in Shillington. Mike Clark is one win shy of 300. He’s entering his 17th season overall and 13th at Gov. Mifflin. If the 3-pointers are falling, you can never count out the Mustangs. They’ve piled up 14 Berks League titles.

Exeter begins a new chapter with the graduation of Grace Reedy, the school’s all-time leading scorer at 1,403 points. Reedy poured in 21 ppg. last winter and was named to the Class 5A All-State team. The Eagles have an athletic group that includes Meredith Fylypowycz, Maggie Kopanski, Chayse Flood, and Lillie Keperling. Coaches around the league don’t expect Exeter to fall off the map because Reedy is gone.

Brandywine Heights and Schuylkill Valley round out my initial rankings. Rob Benner takes over for Jason Bieber as the Bullets’ head coach. Bieber is the new skipper of the Fleetwood boys basketball program. Meanwhile, Benner will be relying on some familiar faces. His daughters, Addison and Sophia, hope to get Brandywine Heights back to the postseason. Addison Benner, a skilled 5’11 senior, needs just twenty points to join the 1,000 club. Her sister Sophia, a talented freshman guard, will be part of an uptempo offense. Junior guard Elyssa Sellers could have a big season in Leesport. The southpaw averaged nearly eight points last year for the Panthers. Sellers and senior guard CC Reali are joined by Gov. Mifflin transfer Hannah West.

Twin Valley and Conrad Weiser are a couple of other teams to watch. They easily could have slid into my rankings. Hailey Kilgore should be the focal point of the Raiders’ offense after averaging 14 ppg. as a sophomore. She drilled 47 three-pointers. Syracuse lacrosse commit Ellie Kaplan is part of a solid junior class that includes Olivia Schmittinger. Matt Hahn begins his first full season as head coach in Elverson. The Scouts also have a new man in charge. Athletic director Chris Kline has an experienced group of players in Robesonia. Five of them were part of the starting lineup at different times last winter. Seniors Alex Trevena, Gisselle Feliciano, and Lauren Grabosky look to improve on a (6-16) campaign. Trevena averaged a team-high 7 ppg. with 28 triples. Speaking of triples, she’s headed to Kent State for softball. Grabosky, a 6’ center, will help in the rebounding department. She had 16 boards in their season opener. Sophomore Geniva Paul is another underclassmen to keep an eye on. It will be difficult for Oley Valley to reach 17 victories again this year. Morgan Snyder ended her career with more than 1,000 points. The All-County selection is now playing field hockey at Penn State.

Without further ado, here is my poll for the Berks Girls Basketball League. Ranking the top eight teams wasn’t easy. I consider many of the spots to be interchangeable this year. The records that you see below are from last season. Remember that no matter where your favorite school is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow!

“The Great 8”

1.Wyomissing (31-1)

2.Wilson (24-5)

3.Berks Catholic (12-13)

4.Reading (10-13)

5.Gov. Mifflin (15-10)

6.Exeter (14-10)

7.Brandywine Heights (14-8)

8.Schuylkill Valley (15-9)

Stewart picks Albany

Paul Roberts — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:30:20 +0000

It’s become trendy to refer to hard-nosed athletes as “dogs.” Wyomissing basketball standout Amaya Stewart is going to be a great dane. The 6’1 rising senior announced on Wednesday that she’s committed to Albany. The Great Danes were (25-7) overall this past season. They finished (13-3) in the America East Conference.

Stewart has been a first team All-State selection in each of the past two years. She’s a two-time Berks County Player of the Year. Stewart will enter her senior season with 1,339 points. She reached 1,000 points against Middletown on January 13. That also happened to be her birthday. Stewart averaged 19.5 points per game last year. She showed her versatility by stepping outside and hitting 21 three-pointers. Stewart has been a dominant low post player for the Spartans.

Wyomissing has won back-to-back Berks League and District 3-4A championships. Stewart led the Spartans to a (31-1) record a season ago. They fell to Blackhawk 47-31 in the PIAA-4A semifinals. Stewart erupted for a career-high 33 points in a 62-52 victory over Neumann-Goretti in the second round of the state playoffs.

Albany reached the semifinals of the America East Tournament this year. The Great Danes came up short versus Vermont 50-46. They were knocked out in the opening round of the WNIT. Colgate defeated Albany 64-50.

Wilson hires Matt Raquet

Paul Roberts — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 23:55:43 +0000

Wilson has found its new girls basketball head coach. Matt Raquet was approved at tonight’s school board meeting. Raquet graduated from Holy Name in 2005. He was on the Blue Jays’ basketball, football, and track and field teams. Berks Catholic inducted Raquet into its Hall of Fame in 2016.

Raquet spent three years (2010-13) as a graduate assistant/video coordinator with the Temple women’s basketball team. His next stop at the Division I college level was Holy Cross. He was an assistant women’s basketball coach for the Crusaders from 2013-18. Raquet stepped down for family reasons, but later coached one of the top AAU programs in Philadelphia for four years. He moved back to Berks County a few years ago.

Chris Gallo resigned as Wilson’s head coach in early May. He had a record of (65-30) over four seasons. The Bulldogs went (24-5) this year and reached the state playoffs. They lost to Wyomissing 45-36 in the BCIAA championship and finished fourth in the District 3-6A tournament.

Wilson’s starting lineup this past season included four sophomores. Unfortunately, point guard Laila Jones suffered a torn ACL last month during an AAU tournament. The two-time All-County selection has 788 career points. Jones averaged a team-high 16 points as a sophomore.

Chris Gallo Resigns at Wilson

Paul Roberts — Wed, 08 May 2024 21:45:00 +0000

I’ve confirmed that Wilson girls basketball coach Chris Gallo submitted his letter of resignation today. Gallo spent four years as the Bulldogs’ head coach and finished with a record of (65-30). Wilson went (24-5) this season while starting four sophomores.

The Bulldogs won the Division 1 title and reached the BCIAA championship game. They lost to Wyomissing 45-36 at Santander Arena. The Spartans were unbeaten at the time. Second-seeded Wilson advanced to the District 3-6A semifinals. Central Dauphin, the eventual District 3 champion, escaped West Lawn with a 42-41 victory. The Bulldogs fell to Conestoga 45-29 in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

Before taking over at Wilson, Gallo served as the head coach of the Schuylkill Valley boys basketball team for 15 years. He guided the Panthers to 203 wins and seven division titles. Gallo was named the Berks County Coach of the Year three times. Wilson will begin its search for a new coach immediately. Gallo didn’t want to comment at this time.

Amaya Stewart-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 02:15:53 +0000

The 3-pointer has completely changed the game of basketball at the college and professional levels. Many teams are launching more shots from beyond the arc than ever before. Wyomissing, however, is more than happy to pound the ball inside. When you have a talent like Amaya Stewart, give her the ball and let her “go to work” as head coach Aaron Anders often says from the sideline. Stewart erupted for a career-high 33 points and 11 rebounds in a thrilling 62-52 win over Neumann-Goretti on Wednesday at Pottstown. “It’s a blessing. We worked so hard to get here and it’s paying off,” remarked Stewart. The Spartans improved to (30-0) and advanced to the PIAA-4A quarterfinals. They led the (19-7) Saints 9-0 and 18-5 after the first quarter. Their advantage expanded to 24-8 in the second quarter. Neumann-Goretti, a five-time state champion, didn’t go away easily. The Saints ended the first half on a 17-to-4 run to pull within 28-25 at the break. They have five guards in their starting lineup including 5’4 junior Carryn Easley and highly touted 5’8 freshman Regina Baker. “They are really tough. They’re probably the best [guards] in the state,” stated Stewart. Easley finished with 22 points and Baker added 11. They were both first team selections in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Stewart fed Audrey Hurleman for two layups to open the third quarter. Neumann Goretti, the #3 seed from District 12, went on another run. Easley jammed nine points into that period and Wyomissing trailed 41-39 entering the final quarter. Annie McCaffrey hit a triple from the left corner with five minutes remaining. Her ninth trey of the season put the Spartans in front 46-44. The lone senior in their starting lineup provided 13 points. McCaffrey is committed to UMass for soccer. Stewart followed with a three-point play for a 51-47 cushion midway through the fourth quarter. The 6’1 junior grabbed a missed free throw and turned it into another three-point play with three minutes left. The first team All-State pick had a dozen points in the last eight minutes. “Take over, take over. I’m gonna step up. I’m built for that,” replied Stewart when asked about her mentality. Hurleman, a 5’8 junior, made a pair of foul shots with 1:15 to go for a 58-52 edge. The North Carolina lacrosse commit contributed 12 points. McCaffrey went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe with 47 seconds remaining. She gave Wyomissing a 60-52 lead. The Spartans ended up 11-of-19 from the free throw line, while the Saints were 8-of-14. Sophomore Kamora Berry made half of Neumann-Goretti’s six 3-pointers. The Saints fell to the Spartans in the second round for the second straight year. Wyomissing will meet District 7 champ North Catholic at 2pm on Saturday at Bald Eagle High School. Stewart is grateful for the fan support during this undefeated streak. “It’s beautiful. We love our community. We know we have a huge community behind our back,” she said.