Wilson and Gov. Mifflin play each other for the third time this season Thursday. The rubber match holds a little extra weight, as if these division rivals needed it.
The No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 3 Mustangs tip off Thursday afternoon at 4:00 in the BCIAA girls basketball semifinals at Santander Arena. The BCIAA basketball semifinals quadruple header was postponed from Wednesday to Thursday due to inclement weather. The full schedule is:
Girls: No. 2 Wilson vs. No. 3 Gov. Mifflin - 4:00 p.m.
Boys: No. 2 Wilson vs. No. 3 Gov. Mifflin - 5:30 p.m.
Girls: No. 1 Wyomissing vs. No. 4 Reading High - 7:00 p.m.
Boys: No. 1 Berks Catholic vs. No. 4 Reading High - 8:30 p.m.
The winner advances to play either Wyomissing or Reading High for the county title. The loser starts preparing for districts.
The championship game remains Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Santander Arena.
Each team has won a game against the other this season. The Mustangs defeated the Bulldogs 47-45 in West Lawn on Dec. 16 behind sophomore Bella Super's 20 points.
Wilson was without junior starting center Violet Houck in that game and her return in the second matchup between the teams on Jan. 27 made a big difference. Houck had a monster double-double with 18 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a 57-42 victory over the Mustangs in Shillington.
The first loss to the Mustangs dropped Wilson to 1-2 in Berks I and 2-4 overall. The Bulldogs won nine straight league games and 13 of their last 16 games to capture their second consecutive Berks I title.
Mifflin's first win over the Bulldogs moved them to 3-0 in Berks I and 5-1 overall and the loss in the second game left the Mustangs at 7-3 in Berks I and 11-7 overall. Mifflin rebounded from the rough stretch to win four of their last five games to end the season, including a 10-point victory over Reading High to claim the Berks I/II runner-up playoff berth.
The Mustangs have won the most BCIAA girls basketball titles with 14 and have the second-most appearances with 18. Mifflin last won a title in 2022.
The Bulldogs have won the second-most titles (nine, tied with Reading High) and have the most appearances (22), including last season in a loss to Wyomissing. Wilson last won a title in 2014, when they became one of two schools to complete a threepeat (Reading High did it twice.)
The last matchup between the teams in the BCIAA playoff occurred in 2023, when the Bulldogs defeated the Mustangs 55-44 in the quarterfinals.
Here are the matchups between the teams in the BCIAA playoffs over the past decade:
2022 - Mifflin defeated Wilson 47-34 in the championship game
2020 - Mifflin defeated Wilson 54-35 in the quarterfinals
2019 - Mifflin defeated Wilson 40-36 in the semifinals
2018 - Mifflin defeated Wilson 45-37 in the quarterfinals
No. 2 Wilson Bulldogs (16-7)
Junior Laura Crocona scored 14 points to lead the Bulldogs in a 63-19 win over No. 7 Schuylkill Valley Monday. The game was postponed due to inclement weather from Saturday.
Sophomore Kailani Hardy leads Wilson's scoring attack with a 14.8 average and 24 3-pointers; she returned to action Monday after a two-game suspension. Hardy has been Wilson's go-to scorer all season and continues to get better on both offense and defense after showing immense potential as a freshman.
Crocona is second on the team with a 9.7 scoring average and has drained 18 3s. The athletic wing is usually tasked with guarding the opponent's best player.
Sophomore Ryan Leaman has done a fantastic job seizing the opening in the backcourt with All-Berks guard Laila Jones out for the season with a torn ACL. She has hit a team-high 28 3s and scored 7.7 points per game (ppg) while serving as head coach Matt Raquet's primary ball handler.
Houck (6.1 ppg) and fellow junior Emma Williams (3.2 ppg) are twin towers in the post, each standing 6-0 and two of three returning starters for the Bulldogs with Crocona.
Junior guard Janai Tisdale (2.8 ppg) is the first off the bench providing grittiness, toughness, and a spark defensively. Tisdale also returned from a two-game suspension Monday.
A pleasant development for Raquet has been freshman forward Jade Lee, who has filled in nicely when others were out. Lee has scored 5.7 ppg in 22 games and is yet another piece to be excited about for the Bulldogs, who will likely have all the aforementioned players returning next season along with Jones' return from the knee injury.
Offensively, Wilson averages 50.8 points, has hit 74 3s, and shot 57.1-percent from the foul line. Defensively, the Bulldogs allow 40.1 ppg. The Bulldogs have the second-highest point differential in Berks at plus-10.7, trailing on Wyomissing's plus-21.9.
No. 3 Gov. Mifflin Mustangs (15-8)
The Mustangs beat No. 6 Twin Valley 54-45 in the quarterfinals Saturday, led by senior Mia Vazquez's double-double and sophomore Brooklyn George's team-high 12 points.
Super has been flamethrower offensively all year for Mike Clark's Mustangs, averaging 19.0 ppg, second-most in Berks. The sophomore guard has hit 45 3s and is the engine of Mifflin's high-powered offense.
The 6-0 Vazquez is the presence in the post and has averaged 9.7 ppg while also occasionally stepping out behind the 3-point line with nine made 3s. The senior is also a good foul shooter, making 71.2-percent of her tries.
Sophomore guards Bridget Martin (7.5 ppg, 14 3-pointers) and Brooklyn George (8.3 ppg, 32 3-pointers) are unselfish, do-it-all players joining Super in the backcourt and are capable of catching fire. If they do, it's hard to beat the Mustangs, because Martin and George affect the game in so many other areas defensively, on the glass, and providing capable ball-handling options.
Freshman 5-11 wing Saray Renninger has stepped right into a starting role and provided 5.7 ppg with 16 3s. After expected contributor Jatiyah Case has been out with an injury after only five games, Renninger's importance as a scoring option and defender on the wing has increased, and she has delivered.
Senior Jayda Armstrong is the top bench piece for Clark. The guard has played in all 23 games this season providing tough defense and ball handling. She has hit eight 3s and averaged 1.9 ppg.
Offensively, Mifflin averages 52.8 ppg, has hit 126 3s, and shot 59.5-percent from the free throw line. Defensively, the Mustangs allow 43.1 ppg. The Mustangs have the third-highest point differential in Berks at plus-9.7.
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