Governor Mifflin cruises past Oley Valley, 67-24, in Berks League title defense opener
READING>> The core of Governor Mifflin’s girls’ basketball team won the Berks League playoffs last winter as juniors — possibly arriving ahead of schedule, but with all the gusto and conviction of champions-in-the-making.
As seniors now, the bull’s-eye has been squarely on Mifflin’s back all season. But the Mustangs, to this point, have shrugged and gone about their business. They won 21 of 22 games this season (the only setback was to non-league opponent Central Dauphin in December) in racing through the opponents and the slate to arrive as the top-seed for the Berks League playoffs.
Oley Valley drew the short straw as the No. 8 seed in Saturday’s league quarterfinal round matchup, held at Berks Catholic. Mifflin gashed the short-benched Lynx from the go, cruising to a 67-24 victory.
The Mustangs (22-1) will take on Fleetwood in the league semifinals Tuesday night at Santander Arena, at 6 p.m. The Tigers finally got nemesis Conrad Weiser by a 32-27 count, at Exeter, in their quarterfinal to gain a downtown slot. Oley Valley (12-11) can now turn its sights to District 3 play as the sixth-seed in Class AA.
Berks Catholic and Wilson, Saturday’s other quarterfinal winners, will play in the 8 p.m. game at Santander.
Mifflin scored the first 10 points of the game against Oley Valley and 21 of its first 23, putting the issue to bed before the first quarter was out. The Lynx, barely six-deep and needing a strong start if there was any hope of staying with coach Mike Clark’s fleet crew, instead committed 10 first-quarter turnovers without hitting a field goal in falling behind 21-2.
Not exactly a recipe for success. And Mifflin gave no quarter in rolling up a 39-7 bulge by halftime.
“I was very proud of the girls,” Clark said. “They came out and played hard, even though many people were telling them ‘see you Tuesday at Santander’. They didn’t listen to that stuff. We got out 21-2 and they were able to stay focused. As long as we stay focused like that we’re gonna be hard to beat.
“They all come to play. They stay focused. Emonie (Reviere) and Madison and Kylie and Melissa (Martin), they all know it’s their last shot as the seniors.”
As expected Mifflin came out uptempo with pressure defense at the other end that gave Oley Valley fits, and the Lynx never really settled down or adjusted. Even when the press was broken, which happened a few times, the passes went awry, contributing to 17 total first-half turnovers.
The Mustangs hit shots from all over the floor in the front court in getting a balanced and consistent scoring effort. Clark kept his core seven-player rotation on the floor through the third quarter before sprinkling in the bench for the fourth. The mercy clock was reached with 6:21 to go, when Mifflin gained a 61-21 advantage.
Kylie Herman and Jenn Martin led the Mustangs out of the gate with six points apiece during the first quarter. But it was Madison Koehler, thanks to four 3-pointers, who eventually finished as the game’s high scorer with 19.
“They share the ball, they move the ball, and when they do that, they’re hard to beat,” Clark said of his squad.
Amanda Aulenbach scored all of Oley Valley’s 14 third-quarter points en route to her team-high 17. Taylor Renninger and Madeline Kauffman were the only other Lynx players to score, and they each hit one field goal.
Governor Mifflin 67, Oley Valley 24
Oley Valley – 2 5 14 3 — 24
Governor Mifflin – 21 18 18 10 — 67
Oley Valley
Kauffman 1 0-0 3, Amanda Aulenbach 5 6-8 17, Sonon 0 0-0 0, Renninger 1 2-2 4, Moyer 0 0-0 0, Freed 0 0-0 0, Bushong 0 0-0 0. Totals: 7 8-10 24.
3-pointers: 2 (Kauffman, Aulenbach)
Governor Mifflin
Wright-Gaskins 1 0-0 2, Melissa Martin 6 0-0 12, Madison Koehler 5 5-5 19, Herman 4 0-1 9, Jenn Martin 5 3-4 13, Hartman 1 0-0 2, King 0 0-0 0, Reviere 3 0-0 6, Payne 1 0-0 2, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Latshaw 0 0-0 0, DelVecchio 0 0-0 0, Mathieu 1 0-0 2, Gruber 0 0-0 0. Totals: 27 8-10 67.
3-pointers: 5 (Koehler 4, Herman)
