Dave Argentati-Gov. Mifflin

The Gov. Mifflin boys basketball team opened its season on Monday night in Shillington. Before the Mustangs took on Cedar Crest, Dave Argentati addressed those in attendance. Argentati is the Director of Pupil Services and former head basketball coach at Gov. Mifflin. He spoke about one of his players who will be remembered for many years to come. Kyle Conrad passed away in September from cancer. He was 39. Conrad was a multi-sport athlete in high school. He went on to score 1,157 points at Elizabethtown College. Conrad returned to his alma mater as an assistant under Dan Haughney before becoming the Mustangs’ head coach. He served in that role for the past four seasons. Conrad led the Mustangs to the Berks County championship game in 2020. He was beloved in the Gov. Mifflin community. “He respected and honored the name on the front of the jersey. He was the epitome of Mustang nation. Kyle loved his family. Kyle adored his boys, and he loved the game of basketball,” said Argentati. Conrad is survived by his wife Lauren and their two sons, Logan and Carson. This year’s team will be wearing #24 warmup shirts throughout the season, as well as “KC” stickers on their sneakers.

As for the game, Cedar Crest jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes. J’Veon Reyes-Vega knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. The 5’11 guard is the only senior in the Falcons’ starting lineup. He finished with 13 points in the 71-51 victory over the Mustangs. Gov. Mifflin trailed 16-8 after committing seven turnovers in the first quarter. Leo Tirado hit a triple before the buzzer to give Cedar Crest a 32-19 advantage at halftime. The Falcons used an 8-0 run at the start of the third quarter to blow the game open. The Mustangs were outscored 24-21 in that period. They were down 56-40 entering the fourth quarter. Cedar Crest had five players in double digits. Fernando Marquez provided 13 points including eight in the final period. Tirado and Chernich added 11 points apiece. Aiden Schomp, a 6’6 junior, contributed 10 points. Gov. Mifflin ended up with 22 turnovers. The Mustangs connected on ten shots from beyond the arc, but only made eight shots from inside of it. Twin brothers Gerrell (14) and Delsin McNeil (11) combined for 25 points. Delsin splashed three treys. Tyler Minick had a dozen points. The senior forward is committed to UConn for baseball. The Falcons went 11-of-18 from the free throw line while the Mustangs were 5-of-6. Gov. Mifflin was (11-11, 5-7) a season ago.