POTTSTOWN — Wyomissing senior Annie McCaffrey entered Wednesday night’s game having made just eight 3-pointers this season and nine in her entire career.
But with her team down one in the fourth quarter, McCaffrey didn’t hesitate, pulling up from beyond the arc and nailing the biggest 3-pointer her of career.
“I knew if I missed it, I was going to be in trouble,” McCaffrey said. “So I took my time, took a good shot (and) made it, thankfully.”
The momentum-shifting basket gave the Spartans the spark they needed, as Wyomissing hung on to defeat Neumann-Goretti 62-52 in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A girls basketball playoffs.
“When Annie hit that 3-pointer, I feel like I knew it that we were going come out with the win,” junior teammate Audrey Hurleman said. “It was a crazy 3-pointer. It was an insane part of the game and it just gave us such a momentum shift.”
The two-time Berks and District 3 Class 4A champions, the Spartans (30-0) entered the fourth quarter trailing 41-39. After the two teams traded baskets early in the fourth, McCaffrey’s 3-pointer gave Wyomissing a 46-44 lead.
“You want to talk about moxy,” Spartans coach Aaron Anders said about the shot. “That takes a whole lot of energy.”
The Saints (19-7) responded with a basket to tie it before Hurleman was sent to the free throw line with 4:42 to play. She converted both foul shots to give Wyomissing a 48-46 lead, which they did not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
“Obviously I wanted to make them to try and get a lead and keep our momentum moving,” Hurleman said. “(I) just wanted to stay calm and keep having confidence in myself.”
The pair of free throws started a 16-6, game-ending and game-winning run for Wyomissing, sending the Spartans to the quarterfinals for the second straight year. They will play District 7 champion North Catholic on Saturday at a time and location to be determined.
The game will be a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal, which North Catholic won 60-27. North Catholic defeated Warren 59-32 in a second-round game on Wednesday night.
“It’s just incredible to be 30-0,” Hurleman said. “It’s just so much fun.”
Hurleman accounted for six of Wyomissing’s final 16 points down the stretch and went 4-for-4 from the foul line. She finished the game with 12 points, tying a career high.
“It’s all clicking right now at the right time,” Anders said about Hurleman. “She works so hard at just shoring up the things that she needed to work on.”
Junior Amaya Stewart scored eight points down the stretch, which included a pair of 3-point plays. The two-time Berks Player of the Year gave Wyomissing a 51-47 lead with just over four minutes to play and a 54-47 lead with just under three minutes to play, marking the Spartans’ first three-possession lead of the fourth quarter.
“We knew that we needed to step up on (the) boards and just making shots overall,” Stewart said. “Together, we pulled through.”
Stewart finished with a career-high 33 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. The center finished 3-for-3 from the foul line.
“She just continues to rise the occasion,” Anders said about Stewart. “She took the game over.”
Wyomissing’s defense kept Neumann-Goretti off balance on offense during several stretches of the game, including late in the fourth quarter. The third-place team from District 12, the Saints had just five points in the final three minutes.
“We packed it in,” Hurleman said. “We limited their drives.”
The Spartans took control of the game early, opening with a 9-0 run. Wyomissing dominated the first quarter and led 18-5 after eight minutes.
The Spartans extended their lead to 24-8 early in the second quarter before Neumann-Goretti went on a 17-4 run to close out the half. Wyomissing’s lead was cut to just 28-25 at the break.
“Our whole key was to make sure that we took our time offensively, that we did not rush,” Anders said. “(The Saints) wanted to rush. They rushed us and then we start making the turnovers.”
The Spartans opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run before Neumann-Goretti fired back with a 7-0 run. The game was tied 39-39 until the Saints took a 41-39 lead with three seconds to go in the third.
Wyomissing remained composed, however, preventing Neumann-Goretti from garnering all the momentum early in the fourth quarter. The Saints’ largest lead was 44-41, which was also their last of the game.
“They don’t panic when it comes down to fourth quarter,” Anders said about his team. “The last four minutes they did not panic, and that is something so uncanny.”
Down by three points early in the fourth, the Spartans got a basket from Stewart before McCaffrey’s 3-pointer just 22 seconds later gave Wyomissing all the momentum it needed. McCaffrey finished with 13 points.
“Sometimes he’s more confident in me than I am in myself,” McCaffrey said about Anders. “So I think just having a coach like that is just everything. It makes the team so much better, it makes myself so much better. It’s amazing.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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