Shakyla – Berks Sports Report

Shakyla Mayo-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 14:10:00 +0000

The Mustangs would not have been playing at Santander Arena on Friday night without the heroics of Shakyla Mayo on Tuesday. Her layup before the buzzer gave Gov. Mifflin a thrilling 41-40 semifinal victory over top-seeded Berks Catholic. Mayo carried that momentum into the BCIAA championship against #3 seed Wilson. The 5’6 junior erupted for nine points in the opening quarter. Mayo finished with a game-high 19 points as the fourth-seeded Mustangs held off the Bulldogs 47-34 for their 14th Berks County title. Gov. Mifflin was on top 14-7 after the first quarter and 25-14 at halftime. Wilson went scoreless for the first seven minutes of the third period. Mayo elaborated on their defensive game plan which was designed to limit the paint touches of 6’2 junior Isis Dojan and force the Bulldogs to shoot from the outside. Dojan was held to three points. She piled up 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 blocks in the semifinals vs. Reading. Wilson trailed 32-18 after the third quarter. The Bulldogs didn’t score for the first three minutes and sixteen seconds of the final quarter. They were down 33-21 when senior guards Amiyah Nguyen and Gia Borelli splashed back-to-back 3-pointers. The last three and a-half minutes became a parade to the foul line for the (17-8) Mustangs. It turned into quite a struggle. Gov. Mifflin attempted 33 free throws in the fourth quarter, but only made 13. Mayo sank two with 44 seconds remaining. Taylor Koenig added two more moments later for a 44-34 advantage. Finally, the Mustangs’ fans could celebrate. Gov. Mifflin ended up 13-35 from the charity stripe, while Wilson was 2-5. Koenig, a promising 5’7 sophomore, provided eleven points including eight in the final period. Elisa Fiore chipped in with eight points. Shyanna Mayo, Shakyla’s older sister, added six. Keira Levengood, a 5’10 senior, led the (17-6) Bulldogs win eleven points. Nguyen and Borelli had eight apiece. Three of Wilson’s four triples came in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs connected six times from beyond the arc. They made five treys in the first half to build a 14-point edge. Shakyla was 3-14 from the free throw line, but she was able to smile about it when she had a gold medal around her neck after the game. Shakyla told me that she’ll be working on free throws all weekend. She puts in countless hours at practice and watching film. Gov. Mifflin has captured three of the last four BCIAA championships. The Bulldogs were looking for their tenth county title and first since 2014. They had won ten of their previous eleven contests. Wilson and Gov. Mifflin split their regular season matchups. The Mustangs finished third in Division 1, but came out on top when it mattered most. Shakyla has high expectations going into the District 3-6A playoffs. #11 seed Gov. Mifflin visits Cumberland Valley on Monday at 7pm. #9 seed Wilson is on the road against Penn Manor. The top seven teams will qualify for the state tournament.

Shakyla Mayo-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 22:47:00 +0000

Shakyla Mayo really enjoys playing basketball with her older sister Shyanna. They have a lot to celebrate after the Mustangs pulled off a dramatic (41-40) win over top-seeded Berks Catholic in the Berks County semifinals. Shakyla, a 5’6 junior guard, made a game-winning layup just before the buzzer. She told me that she blacked out for a moment. You can probably understand why. It’s the first game-winning shot of Shakyla’s career, and she was playing at Santander Arena for the first time. Shyanna, a 5’6 senior, converted a putback to get Gov. Mifflin within 40-39 with ten seconds remaining. After Mackenzie Gordos missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Mustangs pushed the ball ahead to Shakyla who drove right down the middle of the lane. She was immediately mobbed by her teammates. The Mayo sisters had eight points apiece. Taylor Koenig finished with a game-high 15 points for #4 seed Gov. Mifflin. The 5’7 sophomore scored the first five points of the game. The (16-8) Mustangs trailed 8-5 after the first quarter and 24-18 at halftime. They outscored the Saints 11-4 in the third quarter to take a 29-28 advantage entering the final eight minutes. Koenig jammed eight points into that quarter. Caraline Herb and Caroline Reedy drilled 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after Berks Catholic fell behind by four. Freshman guard Madison Langdon put the Saints on top 38-36 with a fast break layup with 3:15 to go. Reedy, a 5’9 senior who recently reached 1,000 points, sank a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left. Berks Catholic had a 40-37 edge until Shyanna’s basket with ten seconds to play. The (19-5) Saints were 7-10 from the foul line, but missed the front end of two 1-and-1 opportunities in the closing seconds. Gov. Mifflin went 6-10 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs and Saints have won the previous seven Berks County championships. Their coaches, Bob Birmingham (615) and Mike Clark (273), have 888 combined victories. This was an instant classic between two great programs. Berks Catholic knocked down seven shots from beyond the arc, while Gov. Mifflin made five. They’ve got more triples than any other teams in the county. Shakyla said she had extremely high expectations for their team this season because they have so many skilled offensive players. 5’5 junior Anyah Ortitz chipped in with seven points. She was an all-division selection last year. Shakyla stressed that this was a chance for the Mustangs to get revenge after losing to the Division 1 champion Saints twice in the regular season. Gov. Mifflin will square off against rival Wilson in Friday’s Berks County final at 6pm. Shakyla discussed the biggest key in that matchup. We also talked about her favorite class and teacher at Gov. Mifflin. I asked her if Biology is harder than basketball. Shakyla mentioned that she watches film all day. I think she’ll be watching the final ten seconds of this game for a very long time.