Malik Osumanu-Reading

Malik Osumanu has seen what it takes to win a state championship. His brother, Moro, had 21 points and 12 rebounds in the PIAA-6A Final two years ago. Moro Osumanu led the Red Knights to a thrilling 58-57 victory over previously unbeaten Archbishop Wood. He’s now playing at West Chester University. “He’s doing really good. It looks like he got stronger [and] is shooting the ball really good,” said Malik. Moro made 15 starts for the Golden Rams and averaged 17 minutes per game during his sophomore campaign. He was at Coatesville High School on Wednesday to see Reading beat Upper Darby 83-58 in the second round of the state playoffs. Malik was inserted back into the starting lineup and scored six points in the first eight minutes. The 6’5 junior finished with a career-high ten points in 19 minutes. He was 4-6 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line. The (29-1) Red Knights led 20-14 after the opening quarter. They went scoreless for over five minutes in the second period. A 3-pointer by Nadir Myers from the left wing gave the (21-10) Royals a 23-20 advantage. Reading closed the half with a 16-5 run which included a dunk by Aris Rodriguez and a three-point play by Ruben Rodriguez. Ruben Rodriguez had a team-high 22 points and seven steals. The Rider commit is up to 1,953 career points. Aris Rodriguez provided 15 points. “He played really great. He got me fired up. His energy, passing it on to me, and we were able to pass it on to the team,” replied Osumanu. Myles Grey took over in the third quarter. The 5’11 senior scored seven straight points for the District 3 champions. Grey ended up with 14 points and seven assists. Niymire Brown, a 6’4 senior, got his fourth and fifth fouls midway through the third period. He was limited to four points. Brown had 15 points and nine boards in the Royals’ first round double overtime win at Bethlehem Liberty. Aris Rodriguez kicked off the fourth quarter with another slam to put the Red Knights in front 58-45. Upper Darby, the #6 seed from District 1, got within 58-50. However, Reading closed the deal with a 25-8 run. Yadiel Cruz provided a lift off the bench as usual. The 6’2 junior piled up 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Red Knights extended their winning streak to 20 games by forcing 23 turnovers. Myers made five treys and poured in 28 points. He hit three triples in the second quarter. Yassir Joyner went for 19 points. The 6’3 senior scored more than 1,000 points in his career. The Royals have never advanced past the second round of the PIAA tournament. This was their sixth appearance. Upper Darby was 9-13 from the free throw line while Reading went 23-33. The Royals shot 7-22 from beyond the arc. The Red Knights were 0-9, yet still jammed 47 points into the second half. Reading will take on District 7 runner-up New Castle in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Malik Osumanu and his brother joked about a future 1-on-1 matchup. For now, Malik is focused on helping his teammates. “It’s a blessing. We always pray for another 32 minutes and that’s what we got,” he said.