Francis Camara-Reading

Two high school basketball heavyweights squared off in the Ches-Mont Challenge at West Chester University. The short-handed Red Knights had two lengthy scoring droughts in a 55-35 loss to Coatesville. “Our boys fought. We fought hard. That’s a very good Coatesville team. They’ve got some really good size. They killed us on the glass,” said second-year head coach Francis Camara. The Red Raiders fell to Reading 62-44 in the state quarterfinals a season ago. They trailed 16-13 after the opening quarter on Thursday night. Coatesville outscored the Red Knights 8-0 over the first two minutes of the second quarter. Reading went scoreless for five minutes and fifteen seconds as the (2-0) Red Raiders went in front 25-16. They were on top 29-21 at halftime. The Red Knights pulled within 36-32 entering the final period, but they were outscored 19-3 in the fourth quarter. Reading committed ten of its 22 turnovers over the last eight minutes. “Most important, we gotta take care of the ball. We had some good looks. It felt like there was a lid on the rim. Things weren’t going in for us,” noted Camara. The Red Knights were 3-of-12 from beyond the arc in their opener. Kahlil Samuel, a 6’1 senior who returned to Reading from New York, had a team-high ten points and six rebounds. “Kahlil is gonna be a very good contributor for us. He’s very versatile,” replied Camara. Senior guard Amon Fowlkes led Coatesville with 16 points including eight in the fourth quarter. Senior point guard Nasir Williams, a transfer from Sankofa Freedom Academy, added 15 points. Larry Brown, a 6’7 junior, and reserve guard Chris Allegra chipped in with seven points apiece. The Red Raiders were just 11-of-22 from the free throw line, while the Red Knights finished 8-for-11. Jeremiah Camara was the only returning starter on the court for Reading. The sophomore guard had nine points with seven coming in the first half. Juniors Weshly Rosario and Blake Adams aren’t currently eligible. Adams is a 6’9 transfer from Nativity who averaged 8.6 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks last season. “Obviously, adding those two back with us is gonna be a great addition, but we’ll roll with what we have right now. We’re gonna continue to fight,” stated Camara. The Red Knights hope to have Rosario and Adams in the lineup soon. Reading’s 2,268 victories are the most in Pennsylvania history. Coatesville is up to 1,850 wins after knocking off Lower Merion and Reading to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Head coach John Allen led the Red Raiders to a state championship in 2001. He racked up 2,372 points during his high school career before going to Seton Hall. Camara believes playing a difficult schedule will benefit the Red Knights down the road. They started three sophomores on Thursday. “You continue to challenge your team. You want them to get better and better every day…We’re gonna be tougher in the long run for it,” he emphasized.