BCIAA Quarterfinal Preview: No. 4 Reading High vs. No. 5 Schuylkill Valley
- Sean McBryan
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
No. 4 Reading High (12-10) vs. No. 5 Schuylkill Valley (15-6)
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: Geigle Complex.
Previous matchups this season: N/A.
How the Red Knights got here: Wildcard. The defending Berks champions secured a spot in the dance via their power ranking, which landed them the first wildcard spot. Half of Reading's losses came in league play this season (Wilson and Mifflin twice, Exeter) with the others by the hands of State College, Abington Heights, York Suburban, Susquehanna Township, and Central York. Last season, the Red Knights were also the No. 4 seed before beating Conrad Weiser, Wyomissing, and Gov. Mifflin en route to its first Berks title in 15 years. Head coach Rashida Suber's group is led by sophomore Xiani Beatty (10.9 ppg). Senior JilliAnn Laws (9.4 ppg), senior Nayara Ortega (7.6 ppg), junior Yolanda Velez (5.4 ppg), junior Skie Blijden (4.0 ppg), sophomore Lisa Perez (3.0 ppg), and senior Mekhira Gaskins (2.5 ppg) have each played in 20 or more games. The Red Knights have the No. 4 offense in Berks at 48.1 ppg. They allow 40.1 ppg. Reading has won the second-most Berks championships with 10 and has appeared in 17 total title games.
How the Panthers got here: Winning their first division title in four years. Amaya Stewart and Wyomissing had a stranglehold on Berks III the past few years and the Panthers regained the top spot this year. The Panthers have still been a mainstay in the BCIAA playoffs even without winning the division the past few years. This is their sixth consecutive appearance in the county playoffs. Head coach Jason Bagenstose is one of four active Berks girls basketball coaches with 100 or more career wins. Schuylkill Valley is led by the dynamic duo of senior Elyssa Sellers (13.9 ppg) and junior Hannah West (12.4 ppg, 49 3s). Junior Hannah Yobb (7.5 ppg), senior Amelia Falsone (4.1 ppg), junior Emma Houser (3.5 ppg), and junior Maliyah Butler (2.8 ppg) have each played in 20 or more games. The Panthers have the No. 6 offense in Berks averaging 47.3 ppg. They have the second-best defense, allowing only 31.3 ppg. They've hit the fifth-most 3-pointers in Berks with 82. Last season, the Panthers fell 63-19 to Wilson in the quarterfinals. Schuylkill Valley won its only Berks title in 2005 and appeared in the final in 2006, 1978, 1977, 1976, and 1975.
Winner plays: Wilson or Kutztown, Feb. 11 at Santander Arena.