One win away from the BCIAA girls basketball championship game, Wilson stuck with the bedrock of its identity.
Tenacious defense.
The third-seeded Bulldogs stalled seventh-seeded Reading High’s fourth-quarter comeback effort and held the Red Knights to their second-lowest point total of the season to earn a 37-34 win in a BCIAA girls basketball semifinal on Tuesday night at Santander Arena.
“I thought we really worked hard defensively,” Wilson coach Chris Gallo said. “Defense, loose balls (and) rebounding is what got us here.”
The Bulldogs (17-5) relied on their strengths to earn a spot in the BCIAA title game, their since 2017. They will play No. 4 seed Gov. Mifflin on Friday at 6 p.m. at Santander Arena.
“It means a lot,” Wilson senior Keira Levengood said about earning a spot in the county championship game. “Our goal was just to get here, and now we’re here and we’re in the final, so it’s really exciting.”
The catalyst for the Bulldogs’ offensive success, Levengood led all scorers with a season-high 14 points. She was dominant in the paint and shot 6-for-9 from the free throw line.
“She’s a good teammate,” junior Isis Dojan said about Levengood. “She always keeps her head up.”
After Wilson fell behind 7-1 early in the first quarter, Levengood sparked the offense.
“We were all just playing calm like we were up, but we weren’t,” Levengood said. “Something just needed to happen, so I just took it myself to the basket.”
With 10 points of her own, Levengood led the Bulldogs on a 16-3 run to close out the first half to take a 17-10 halftime lead.
“It definitely gave the team a boost,” Levengood said about the run. “That’s what we needed to win.”
Wilson remained in control for the large majority of the second half. The Bulldogs stifled the Red Knights’ offense and did not allow them to gain any momentum.
Wilson remained ahead by several possessions until late in the fourth quarter. With a 3-pointer from Laysha Pimental, Reading High (13-11) cut the Bulldogs’ lead to just three points with 21 seconds remaining.
After Wilson came up empty on its final offensive possession, the Red Knights had a chance to tie in the game’s final seconds. However, Pimental’s 3-point attempt with two seconds remaining was off the mark.
“It’s not about how pretty it looks,” Gallo said about his team’s win. “It’s about some of the dirty work.”
The Bulldogs did some of their “dirty work” in the paint, outrebounding Reading High by a wide margin. Levengood and Dojan led Wilson in rebounding.
“I was just trying to do whatever I could to get my hands on the ball,” Dojan said. “Whatever it cost, I just tried to get in there and grab the rebounds.”
The Bulldogs held Red Knights senior Kya Washington to 10 points. She was the only Reading High player to score in double figures.
The loss in the semifinals marks the end of the season for the Red Knights, as they did not qualify for the District 3 playoffs.
“Despite our record, we still got here,” Reading High coach Rashida Suber said. “I’m extremely proud of my girls.”
Wilson will look to carry its defensive momentum into the title game, where it will try to win its first championship since 2014. It will be the first county title game appearance for Gallo as the coach of the Bulldogs, as well as all of his players.
“It feels great,” Dojan said about earning a berth in the championship. “It’s really exciting for everyone.”
Source: Berkshire mont