Wyomissing and Reading High will face each other in the Berks County girls basketball playoffs for the third consecutive season Thursday night when the Spartans and Red Knights tip off in the BCIAA semifinals at Santander Arena at 7:00 p.m.
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 moves on to face either No. 2 Wilson or No. 3 Gov. Mifflin in the BCIAA championship Friday at 6:00 at Santander Arena.
Last season, the Spartans defeated the Red Knights 46-36 in the BCIAA quarterfinals behind Amaya Stewart's 24 points and 16 rebounds.
Two seasons ago, the Spartans defeated the Red Knights 46-28 in the BCIAA championship led by Stewart's 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Sensing a common theme?
The Spartans have had a new-look team surrounding Stewart this season, but the Albany commit has churned right along. The Red Knights will be trying to limit her impact.
Wyomissing is aiming to complete the fourth threepeat in Berks girls history after handily defeating Oley Valley in the quarterfinals behind Stewart's 19 points. The only other Berks girls teams to complete a threepeat are Wilson in 2014 and Reading High twice, in 2004 and 1981.
The Red Knights started the year on a heater and positioned themselves to win a division title after a victory over Muhlenberg in late January left them at 8-1 in Berks I and 14-5 overall.
Three straight losses to division opponents in Berks Catholic, Wilson, and Gov. Mifflin to end the season relegated Reading to a wild-card bid, but the Red Knights responded by picking up an impressive 44-28 win over Conrad Weiser in the quarterfinals led by senior Yamilex Rodriguez's 15 points.
Wyomissing's BCIAA titles the past two seasons are the only ones in program history. The Spartans have appeared in the championship two additional times in 2021 and 2001.
Reading High is tied with Wilson for the second-most BCIAA titles with nine, trailing only Gov. Mifflin's 14. The Red Knights have appeared in 16 total championships, third behind Wilson (22) and Mifflin (18).
Here are the matchups between the teams in the BCIAA playoffs over the past decade:
2024 - Wyomissing defeated Reading High 46-36 in the quarterfinals
2023 - Wyomissing defeated Reading High 46-28 in the championship game
2020 - Reading High defeated Wyomissing 53-51 in the quarterfinals
2019 - Reading High defeated Wyomissing 58-32 in the quarterfinals
No. 1 Wyomissing Spartans (20-3)
Wyomissing has dealt with more adversity this season compared to last. The Spartans followed up a 28-3 season in 2023 with a 31-1 season last year, when they ran it back with the four 'A's' in Amaya Stewart, Annie McCaffrey, Alexis Hardy, and Audrey Hurleman.
Heading into this season, McCaffrey graduated and went to play soccer at UMass and Hurleman suffered a torn ACL, which kept her out of action until Jan. 28.
In the Spartans' second game of the year, they lost 48-14 to Hazleton.
Fast forward to February and the Spartans have won 19 of their next 21 games including eight in a row. Wyo's only two losses along the way came to a Middletown team that recently punched its ticket to the Mid-Penn Conference championship and Philly private school powerhouse Westtown.
The Spartans remain the favorite to defend their Berks crown until someone proves capable of knocking them off.
Stewart is averaging a Berks-best 19.8 points per game with senior classmate, starting guard, and Delaware track commit Alexis Hardy averaging 7.4 ppg.
Junior Kacey Maggs, a High Point lacrosse commit, effectively stepped into a starting role last season and did so again this year.
Sophomore Karly Hyde entered the starting lineup full-time this season after playing a first-off-the-bench role as a freshman. Both are multi-sport players with athleticism that fits perfectly into head coach Aaron Anders' zone defense and are capable of knocking down outside shots.
Hyde has scored 5.1 ppg and hit 22 3s this season and Maggs has scored 4.7 ppg with 13 3s.
Senior guard Lili Marshall (2.3 ppg) has been a consistent starter and ball handler after returning from a knee injury that sidelined her all of last season.
Hurleman, a senior wing, has played in seven games after her return and has scored 2.7 ppg, mainly serving in a role off the bench other than one start when Hyde was out.
Junior Ella Anders (1.3 ppg) has primarily been the first player off the bench providing ball handling and the occasional 3-pointer. Sophomore sniper Addison Loeb (5.8 ppg) has taken on a larger role this season and has been important from deep for the Spartans with her 39 3-pointers ranking sixth in Berks.
Offensively, Wyomissing averages 51.0 points, has hit 105 3s, and shot 54.9-percent from the foul line. Defensively, the Spartans allow a league-low 29.1 ppg. The Spartans have the highest point differential in Berks at plus-21.9.
No. 4 Reading High Red Knights (15-8)
Yamilex Rodriguez did not play in last season's playoff loss to Wyomissing due to injury.
Reading's senior leader, main ball handler, and top scorer has been a devoted captain for Rashida Suber's Red Knights this season and will be chomping at the bit to be on the court for Round Three against the Spartans and Stewart, with whom Rodriguez is good friends, workout partners, and AAU teammates.
The duo has a friendly competition going on who can finish the season with the highest free-throw percentage. Rodriguez currently leads the league at 84.6-percent with Stewart not far behind at 75.7-percent.
Rodriguez, who has been the Red Knights' first- or second-leading scorer each of her four seasons playing varsity ball, is averaging a team- and career-high 13.6 ppg this season.
Senior wing Tamyia Collier, who led the Red Knights with 21 points in last season's playoff loss to the Spartans, is also a four-year contributor and averaging 9.0 ppg this season.
Freshman guard Xiani Beatty (7.5 ppg) has been a welcome addition to Reading's lineup with ball-handling, scoring, passing, and defensive skills that take the pressure off Rodriguez and Collier.
Senior 5-10 forward Zaniaya Bradley (4.0 ppg), junior 5-11 forward JilliAnn Laws (5.0 ppg), and junior 5-10 forward Nayara Ortega (3.2 ppg) provide athleticism and rebounding on the wing and in the paint.
Senior wing Elyssa Spring (3.4 ppg) and senior guard Kailani Ocasio (3.3 ppg) have been key pieces off the bench. Spring, Ocasio, and Collier have not played since being ejected after an on-court incident in a game against Wilson on Jan. 30.
Two Wilson players ejected during the game were suspended for two games and returned to the court Monday in the Bulldogs' quarterfinal game. Reading High administration is expected to make a decision on the players' status Wednesday.
Freshman forward Skie Blijden and freshman guard Yolanda Velez have also received significant minutes with each playing in 18 games or more.
Offensively, Reading High averages 49.5 points, has hit 49 3s, and shot 59.3-percent from the foul line. Defensively, the Red Knights allow 40.4 ppg. The Red Knights have a plus-9.1 point differential, fourth-highest in Berks.
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