Amier Burdine-Reading

Two heavyweights in District 3 squared off Tuesday at the Geigle Complex. Reading is #1 in the Class 6A power rankings. Berks Catholic sits atop the 4A rankings in District 3. Last year, the Red Knights defeated the Saints 51-35 in the Berks County championship. This certainly didn’t feel like a regular season matchup. Josh McKoy got Berks Catholic out to a nice start. The 6’2 junior forward had six points in the opening quarter. Reading was up 12-11 after eight minutes. McKoy got his third foul with three and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. The Red Knights quickly turned a one point advantage into a 39-24 lead at the break. They went on a 16-2 run after McKoy’s third foul. “Our defensive intensity stepped up and that led to early offense, fast breaks,” said Amier Burdine. Ruben Rodriguez scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the second period including a dunk with 17 seconds to go. Reading earned a 63-59 victory to improve to (18-1, 8-0). McKoy hit a triple to begin the third period and ignite a 9-2 run by the (15-2, 7-2) Saints. Berks Catholic got a layup from Jack Miller on a well executed play to end the quarter. The Saints trailed 51-43 entering the final period. Ryan Koch (9 points) connected twice from beyond the arc, and Miller splashed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to pull Berks Catholic within 63-56. JayJay Jordan’s putback cut the deficit to five points. McKoy went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to wrap up the scoring with seven seconds remaining. The Saints ended the intense contest on an 11-3 run. Both teams struggled from the foul line. The Red Knights were 6-14, while Berks Catholic finished 4-11. Jordan, who provided 13 points, was 3-9. McKoy led everyone with 20 points. His younger brother, Kingston, chipped in with nine off the bench. The Saints were 7-23 from 3-point range. Reading went 3-13 from downtown. Aris Rodriguez and Myles Grey had 13 points apiece. Yadiel Cruz contributed 9 points and 12 rebounds. The 6’2 junior has been a valuable sixth man for the Red Knights. Burdine scored eight points. I asked the 6’2 senior forward if Reading and Berks Catholic could meet again in the county final. He replied, “For sure. They have a good team over there, a good coach. I think that could happen.” The Red Knights have won seven straight versus the Saints. Burdine, an all-county defensive back, made some news off the court on Tuesday. He committed to Division I Sacred Heart for football. “I had a great relationship with the coaches and players. The environment there felt great, and I made it my home,” said Burdine.