Red Knights top Panthers in quarters
Reading High beats Schuylkill Valley to advance to the Berks semifinals for the first time since 2020
Knowing they hadn’t qualified for the District 3 playoffs, the Reading High players took the court Saturday in the BCIAA girls basketball quarterfinals against Schuylkill Valley at Leesport knowing a loss would bring their season to a permanent end.
The seventh-seeded Red Knights ensured there would be more basketball to play as they used their athleticism to earn a commanding 43-33 win over second-seeded Panthers to advance to the semifinals.
“We had in our minds yesterday at practice that it was win or go home,” Reading High senior Kya Washington said. “I feel like it pushes us more because we don’t want to go home.”
The Red Knights (13-10) played like they were facing elimination from the beginning on Saturday, starting on a 9-2 run. With stifling defense and quick offense, Reading High immediately pressured the Panthers (202) and garnered momentum.
“That’s Reading High basketball,” Red Knights coach Rashida Suber said. “We play defense. We’re going to put pressure (on you), we’re going to be in your face.”
Reading High’s speed and intensity flustered Schuylkill Valley, especially early in the game. However, the Panthers hit several big shots and trailed 14-11 at the end of the first quarter.
“That’s a fast pace that Reading played,” Schuylkill Valley coach Jason Bagenstose said. “We thought it would take us a couple minutes to get used to the pace, and it did.”
The Panthers began to adjust to the speed of the game in the second quarter, but could not keep pace on the scoreboard. Reading High shot the ball efficiently, outscoring Schuylkill Valley 15-8 to take a 29-19 halftime lead.
In addition to her strong defense, Washington led the Red Knights with 12 points in the first half. She finished with a game-high 18 points.
“Kya has been tremendous,” Suber said. “Kya is being the senior leader that she should be, the All-Berks player that she should be.”
Reading High continued to play aggressive offense and disruptive defense in the third quarter to extend its lead. The Red Knights were ahead 39-22 after three.
“We feel like when Reading (High) plays, all odds are against us,” Washington said. “So we’re just pushing harder.”
The Panthers struggled to shoot in the third quarter and were never able to gain any momentum. Senior Madison Ziska scored all three of Schuylkill Valley’s points in the third and led the team with 11.
“We were hoping to make a run coming out of halftime, (but) we just couldn’t hit a shot,” Bagenstose said. “We had good looks, (but) they just weren’t falling.”
The Panthers, who will continue their season in the District 3 playoffs, kept fighting in the fourth quarter. They cut the Red Knights’ lead to seven with just over a minute remaining, but the comeback fell short.
“I’m proud of them,” Bagenstose said about his team. “They battled back in the fourth quarter when we could’ve hung our heads and ended up losing by 20.”
Reading High got into some foul trouble in the fourth . The Red Knights committed 10 fouls in the second half and had two players foul out.
“We’re still (making) the little mental mistakes,” Suber said. “The fourth quarter was a travesty.”
After starting the season 8-9, the victory is Reading High’s fifth in its last six games. The Red Knights won three of their final four regular season games to qualify for the county playoffs.
“Now, we trust each other,” Washington said about Reading High’s recent success. “There is a connection.”
The Red Knights’ win is their first in the county playoffs since 2020. They will continue their season in the Berks semifinals on Tuesday against Wilson, a 42-24 winner over Twin Valley, at Santander Arena at 6 p.m.
“We’re one game at a time,” Suber said. “We’re living in the moment.”
Berks Catholic 52, Wyomissing 34
Caroline Reedy scored a career-high 26 points, including the 1,000th of her career, to lead Berks Catholic to a 52-34 win over Wyomissing in a BCIAA girls basketball quarterfinal game Saturday at Wolf Gymnasium.
Reedy, a senior, hit the milestone on a foul shot. She has 1,005 career points.
The defending champion and top-seeded Saints (204) won their 10th straight Berks quarterfinal game. They will face fourthseeded Gov. Mifflin, a 7058 winner over Brandywine Heights, in a semifinal game Tuesday at Santander Arena in the second game of a doubleheader that starts at 6 p.m.
Berks Catholic led 9-4 after a quarter and 24-14 at the half. Every time eighthseeded Wyomissing (13-9) made a push, the Saints had an answer.
Caroline Herb and Madison Langdon each scored 11 points for Berks Catholic.
Amaya Stewart scored 13 points to lead Wyomissing, which is in line to continue its season in the District 3 Class 4A playoffs on Feb. 22.
The Spartans held the 10th and final spot in the field in district power rankings as of Saturday afternoon. The field is expected to be announced Sunday.
Wilson 42, Twin Valley 24
Wilson put together a complete performance on Saturday night.
The No. 3 seed Bulldogs played efficient offense and stout defense to earn a 4224 win over sixth-seeded Twin Valley in a BCIAA girls basketball quarterfinal at West Lawn.
“I thought they played hard and got after it,” Wilson coach Chris Gallo said about his team. “We were scrappy tonight.”
The Bulldogs (16-5) dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Raiders 12-2. Wilson played feisty defense and effectively moved the ball to create open shots.
“Everybody is excited, it’s playoff basketball,” Gallo said. “They were ready to go.”
The Bulldogs protected their big lead over the final three quarters and did not allow Twin Valley (14-8) to gain any momentum. Wilson led 22-10 at halftime and 3416 after three quarters.
Twin Valley senior Natali Foster led all scorers with 13 points.
Junior Isis Dojan led the Bulldogs with 12 points. Senior Gia Borelli had 10 points.
The Bulldogs will face Reading High in the semifinals Tuesday at Santander Arena at 6 p.m. Twin Valley awaits for its matchup in the District 3 Class 5A playoffs, which start later this month.
Gov. Mifflin 70, Brandywine Heights 58
Taylor Koenig missed more than two months of Gov. Mifflin’s basketball season last winter after testing positive for COVID-19.
This season, she’s intent on making up lost time.
“I appreciate every opportunity,” Koenig said. “I feel like I missed so much. I need to be an impact player every single game. I need to be somehow involved, whether it’s getting a rebound, a steal, an assist.”
Koenig was very involved Saturday in a Berks Girls Basketball League quarterfinal at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate. She tied her career high with 21 points as the fourth-seeded Mustangs cruised past fifth-seeded Brandywine Heights 70-58.
“I just always want to attack,” Koenig said. “My coach (Mike Clark) always tells me to shoot the ball. He never tells me not to shoot.”
Gov. Mifflin (15-8) advanced to the semifinals Tuesday night at Santander Arena against Berks Catholic, a 52-34 winner over Wyomissing, in the second game of a doubleheader that starts at 6 p.m.
Shakyla Mayo scored 17 points, Anyah Oritz had 12 and Shyanna Mayo 11 for the Mustangs, who dropped two regular season games to Berks Catholic.
“I’m really excited to play Berks Catholic and to play there,” Koenig said.
The last time she and the Mustangs played at Santander Arena was in a 50-48 overtime loss to Wyomissing last year in the semifinals.
Koenig, a 5-9 sophomore, played in that game but she was not herself. She missed the first 11 games last season before returning to action Feb. 4. During her time away from the team, she worked on her shot by herself and then last summer with an instructor.
“I haven’t always been a good shooter,” she said. “My trainer really helped fix my shot.”
She scored 42 points in 11 games last season before earning a spot in the lineup this season. She’s emerged as the Mustangs’ top scorer at 12.9 points per game.
“Sometimes I have to slow her down,” Clark said. “Sometimes we’ll get a lead and she’ll start taking bad shots and the momentum switches. She’s only a sophomore. She doesn’t understand that yet.
“I don’t want her to stop shooting. She’s still learning.”
Koenig made 6-of-15 shots from the field and 6-of-6 from the line and had six rebounds and two assists. She made three 3-pointers and increased her league-leading total to 44.
She scored 13 points in the first half when Mifflin built a 37-20 lead against Brandywine Heights (17-5).
The Bullets were seeking their first Berks playoff win since 1974. They committed eight turnovers in the first quarter.
“It had to be nerves,” Brandywine coach Don Vinciguerra said. “They’re a good team and we were worried about them. We have two seniors and one junior. We’re still young and trying to figure it out.”
The Bullets looked like a different team in the second half when they scored 38 points and made eight 3-pointers.
Sophomore reserve Dana Wartzenluft made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 18 points, including 15 in the second half. Freshman Addison Benner had 15 points and Emily Savitz had 12 for Brandywine, which finished with its third-highest point total of the season.
“We told them not to leave certain girls,” Clark said. “We told them not to leave 43 (Wartzenluft) and 21 (Benner). We gave up too many points.”
Brandywine Heights will open the District 3 Class 3A playoffs later this month likely as the No. 1 seed.
Gov. Mifflin earned its fifth consecutive trip to the Berks semifinals, thanks mostly to Koenig.
“I woke up ready today,” she said. “It’s the playoffs, so it’s lock-in time.”