Payne leads Mifflin to coveted Berks title

Sydney Payne, the last player to climb the ladder, was in charge of cutting down the rest of the net.

The senior carefully snipped each section until it fell into her hands. Then she draped it around the trophy, where it always will remain.

“I felt really honored,” Payne said. “Our team worked so hard. I felt like I was cutting it down for everybody.”

Gov. Mifflin’s girls are getting skilled with those scissors. They get a little more practice each February.

Mifflin defeated Reading High 52-34 in the BCIAA girls basketball championship game at Santander Arena Friday night. It was the Mustangs’ second consecutive title and fourth in the last six years.

One reason Mifflin has become the county’s dominant program is it always seems to have players like Payne. Players who do a little bit of everything and don’t care about anything but winning.

Payne finished with eight points and eight rebounds. She has a lot of games like this one.

The numbers, although sometimes impressive, don’t really capture Payne’s contributions. She does all the stuff winning teams need. Defends. Rebounds. Chases down loose balls. Pats people on the back.

“I don’t take her out; I can’t,” Mifflin coach Mike Clark said. “She does so many things. She’s definitely great defensively with her long arms. It’s hard to take her off the floor.”

Last season Kayla Del Vecchio was that kind of player for Mifflin. Three years ago it was Hailey Payne, Syd’s older sister.

Hailey was part of the program when Mifflin went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. The Mustangs have captured 13 county titles. This is the third time they’ve repeated.

“In the back of our minds, we knew other people in other years have done it,”

Payne said. “From them doing it, it seemed so cool. We wanted to make it our memory.”

Payne is a gifted athlete with an unusual sports resume. She plays tennis in the fall and throws the javelin in the spring. Basketball is her love. That’s the sport, she said, that gave her a family.

Mifflin’s five starters average between 8.0 and 10.3 points per game. Elisa Fiore, the leading scorer in the championship game, came off the bench. The Mustangs won the title because they were in it for each other.

Payne has played varsity all four seasons and has gradually improved. Mostly a defensive specialist as a junior, she took a big step forward offensively this winter.

The 6-0 forward is averaging 9.4 points and has made 26 3-pointers. She rarely forces a shot.

“It doesn’t really matter how I do as long as the team does well,” Payne said. “I never doubt that someone else will make up for it.”

How Mifflin’s girls play, how they share the ball so effortlessly and support each other so unconditionally, has to come from somewhere.

It comes from within. From players like Payne.

“Sydney is the best because she’s super funny,” Fiore said. “Whenever one of us is down, she picks us back up with her words, with her actions. Defense. Shooting the ball. She can do everything. She’s just a great friend.”

While Mifflin point guard Stella Mollica should be a lock for the All-Berks team, Payne deserves serious consideration. No player contributed more to a championship. Is there anything more important?

Payne doesn’t care about a personal accolade. Her reward was that moment on top of the ladder.

“Can I get my piece?” she asked while cutting down the net.

Payne sheared off a sliver for herself and tied it around her medal.

That, in a nutshell, was Mifflin’s story. Everyone was happy with her small part of the success.