A year after Wyomissing won the first county and district championships in its girls basketball history, a banner commemorating the achievements hangs in the gymnasium.
As the Spartans prepare for the 2023-24 season, they know that they can not rest on the successes of the previous season.
“They are aware that they’re going to get everybody’s best shot and they’re OK with it,” Wyomissing coach Aaron Anders said. “I’m not seeing any letdown.”
Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, Wyomissing returns four starters — senior Annie McCaffrey and juniors Amaya Stewart, Alexis Hardy and Audrey Hurleman — and a core group of bench players eager to help transform the Spartans into a perennial title contender.
“A lot of us experienced it,” McCaffrey said about being a part of the title-winning season. “We can just build off of that and hopefully achieve those same goals and more this season.”
The Spartans, who finished 28-3 last season, defeated Reading High to win its first Berks Girls Basketball League title. Wyomissing went on to defeat Delone Catholic in the District 3 Class 4A final for its first district championship.
“That definition of ‘team’ is what shines through,” Anders said about the postseason run. “The experiences that they got from last year are invaluable.”
The Spartans advanced to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals, where they lost to North Catholic. It was the furthest Wyomissing had advanced in the state playoffs since 2004.
“The excitement that it caused in this community right now about basketball is pretty neat, too,” Anders said. “There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of momentum going for these kids and thus far they’re working really, really hard.”
Stewart, the 2022-23 Berks Girls Basketball Player of the Year and an All-State selection in Class 4A, is expected to lead the Spartans on the offense again this season. The forward led Wyomissing in scoring at 15.3 points per game and ranked second in the county with 474 points last year.
“I know that I have a target on my back,” Stewart said. “I’m getting better every single day.”
With Stewart scoring the majority of her points in the paint a year ago, she spent the offseason developing her mid-range and 3-point game. She had six 3-pointers in 31 games last season.
“Shooting was my biggest thing in the offseason,” Stewart said. “I’m trying to use that to my advantage.”
McCaffrey, a forward, ranked second on the team in scoring at 7.6 points per game. Hardy, a guard, ranked third at 7.2 points per game, and Hurleman, a forward, was fifth at 4.7 points per game.
“I’m really trying to take more of a leadership role this year,” Hardy said. “Taking that role on the court as a guard and being the leader to calm everyone down.”
The Spartans will open their season with a non-league game at East Pennsboro on Monday at 6 p.m. Their home opener is Friday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. against Muhlenberg.
Wyomissing, the defending Berks III champion, will take on defending Berks IV champion Brandywine Heights on Friday, Feb. 2, at home. The Spartans will play Schuylkill Valley, last season’s Berks III runner-up, on Friday, Dec. 15, at home and on Monday, Jan. 22, at Leesport.
“We’re just going to give everybody our best game and dominate,” Stewart said. “I’m extremely excited.”
Source: Berkshire mont