Rick Perez-Reading

The second round matchup between Reading and Archbishop Wood in the PIAA-6A playoffs was a tale of two halves. The (26-4) Red Knights fell behind 18-7 after the first quarter and 36-15 at the break. Reading shot 6-27 from the field in the first half at Easton Middle School. The (19-7) Vikings went up 40-15 early in the third quarter, but the Red Knights were not going to go out without a fight. They scored 16 straight points to get within nine points late in the third period. Justin Walker, a 6’1 senior, came off the bench to hit two triples and a pair of free throws. Head coach Rick Perez told me that Walker overcame health issues early in his high school career. Ruben Rodriguez, the Berks County Player of the Year, had three baskets in the third period. Jalil Bethea ended the Vikings’ drought with a dunk. He completed the three-point play to put Wood in front 43-31 with eight minutes remaining. Senior forward Tyson Allen made two consecutive layups to extend the Vikings’ advantage to 49-34 with six minutes to play. Allen fouled out a minute later with eleven points. Reading cranked up the defensive pressure and turned defense into offense during a 13-0 spurt. Wood’s lead was trimmed to 49-47 on a layup by Rodriguez with 3:20 to go. Justin Moore sank two free throws to make it 55-48 with two minutes left. The Drexel commit and 1,000 point scorer finished with a team-high 18 points. Moore, a 6’2 guard and first team All-Catholic League selection, was 7-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Aris Rodriguez nailed a 3-pointer with one minute remaining. After Bahsil Laster missed a dunk, Joey Chapman converted a layup to get the Red Knights within 57-55 with 37 seconds on the clock. The crowd, consisting mostly of Reading fans, was in a frenzy. 6’7 junior Carson Howard and Laster went 4-4 from the foul line to quiet the crowd. Ruben Rodriguez drilled a trey in the closing seconds to pull the Red Knights within four points. However, the Vikings held on for a dramatic 64-58 victory. The #3 seed from District 12 went 26-32 from the FT line, while the District 3 champs were 8-17. Chapman was 2-7 with all of those attempts coming in the second quarter. Wood prevailed despite committing 22 turnovers including eight in the third quarter. Reading outscored the Vikings 43-28 in the second half. Perez said his team was apprehensive in the first two quarters, but this group has always been resilient. He thinks Wood has a good shot to win the state title. The Red Knights defeated the Vikings 58-57 in last year’s state final, and 64-58 on January 22nd at the Geigle Complex. Daniel Alcantara played in both of those games. The 6’5 senior suffered a season-ending left hand injury in the District 3 quarterfinals against Wilson. Alcantara scored 1,056 career points. He was named third team all-state last year. Perez mentioned that Alcantara remained a leader even while he wasn’t on the court. Ruben Rodriguez poured in a game-high 21 points. The 6’1 junior had eleven in the final quarter. Rodriguez will enter his senior campaign with 1,291 points. Walker added a dozen points. Reading buried six shots from long distance, while Wood only made two 3-pointers. Laster and Bethea chipped in with ten points apiece. They were both third team All-Catholic League choices. Bethea is a 6’4 sophomore who has more than 70 treys this season. He dropped 23 points on Plymouth-Whitemarsh in the opening round of the tournament. Head coach John Mosco had to replace all five starters, including four Division I players, from last year’s runner-up squad. The Vikings improved to (15-2) all-time in the PIAA playoffs. They captured the 5A title in 2017. The Red Knights won their 24th Berks Conference and 23rd District 3 championships this year. Perez would like to see a Netflix movie done about his team. He stressed that these players have been through a lot on and off the floor. Perez will be looking for his 250th career victory when next season begins.