Aris Rodriguez-Reading

Aris Rodriguez dropped a career-high 30 points on Central York in Reading’s season opener. He drilled four 3-pointers in the first quarter and hasn’t slowed down since. The 6’5 guard averaged 5 points per game a year ago. He’s providing nearly 15 points a night during his senior campaign. Rodriguez set the tone on Tuesday in front of a sold out crowd at Muhlenberg. Eleven of his game-high 18 points came in the first half of a 66-47 victory. Rodriguez reached double digits for the 19th time this season. The (21-1, 11-0) Red Knights completed a perfect run through league play, and extended their winning streak to twelve. The Muhls pulled within one point at the end of the opening period when Kyle Archie hit a jumper from the right corner and was fouled just before the buzzer. Archie’s three-point play made it 10-9. Ruben Rodriguez connected from long distance in the final seconds of the second quarter to put Reading in front 28-20. The Rider commit finished with 14 points giving him 1,777 for his career. The Red Knights kicked off the second half with an 8-0 run and were never threatened again. They led 44-28 entering the fourth quarter. Yadiel Cruz added ten points off the bench and Myles Grey chipped in with seven. “We trust each other. If I’m off, I know Ruben or Myles is gonna be on. Somebody on the team is always gonna be on,” said Aris Rodriguez. He noted that Cruz has been a huge addition. “Him coming from the Dominican Republic was a blessing. I’m glad he’s on the team,” replied Rodriguez. The Muhls were held 15 points below their season average. Rodriguez talked about their defensive game plan. “Stop #1 (Xzavion Robertson) and #2 (Dan Dan Mosquera). That was it. Their offense is done without them,” stated Rodriguez. Robertson, Archie, and Josh Alcantara scored nine points apiece. Mosquera was limited to seven. The all-division guard is putting up nearly 14 points per game. Muhlenberg went 14-16 from the free throw line, while Reading was 18-28. Alcantara hit two of the Muhls’ five triples. Jedaya Ortega gave the Red Knights a boost in the final period when he had seven points. The 6’5 senior forward has gone from 290 pounds at the beginning of the season to 255. This was Ortega’s third appearance of the year. Aris Rodriguez admitted that he didn’t watch the Grammys, but he did rank his top three musical artists. He also gave a pick for the Super Bowl. As for the Red Knights, he knows there’s more work to be done. “We’re not even playing our best yet. [Our] confidence is getting there. We’ve got more to come.”