Myles Grey-Reading

Three seconds left in overtime, your team is down by one point, and you’re at the foul line. No, this wasn’t a movie. This was the District 3-6A Championship in front of an estimated 6,800 fans at the Giant Center. The young man at the line was Yadiel Cruz. He came to Reading from the Dominican Republic before the school year began. The 6’2 junior wasn’t fazed by the situation at all. In fact, Cruz was laughing in the huddle after Cumberland Valley called a timeout. He sank both free throws to propel the Red Knights to a 55-54 victory and their 24th District 3 title. “There’s nothing else to say but clutch. We all had faith in him. We all believed in him. He’s there smiling,” said senior guard Myles Grey. The second-seeded Eagles jumped out to an 8-2 lead and never backed down from #1 seed Reading. Cumberland Valley opened the second quarter with a 7-1 run to grab a 20-14 edge. Aris Rodriguez drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Red Knights up 29-26 at halftime. The 6’5 senior guard crammed eleven points into the second period and finished with a team-high 18. Rodriguez hit four triples and made five steals. Nolan Buzalka, a 6’3 sophomore, splashed a trey before the third quarter horn to pull the (21-4) Eagles within 42-41. They were making their first appearance in the finals since 1995 and seeking their first District 3 trophy. 6’5 senior Nolan Gilbert proved to be a handful for the (27-1) Red Knights. He poured in a game-high 24 points. A layup by Tzuriel Ogunnaike gave Cumberland Valley a 47-42 advantage with five and a-half minutes to go. Reading was scoreless for the first two minutes and 45 seconds of the fourth quarter. The Eagles were up 49-48 with one minute remaining when Ogunnaike missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Cruz went 1-of-2 from the foul line to tie it at 49 with 29 seconds left in regulation. J.D. Hunter connected from long distance to put Cumberland Valley in front 52-51 in overtime. The Eagles’ leading scorer then made two free throws with 56 seconds to play. After a floater by Aris Rodriguez, Hunter missed two foul shots with 25 seconds on the clock. Cumberland Valley had been 14-15 from the stripe before those misses. Rider commit Ruben Rodriguez drove down the lane and dished the ball to Cruz with time running out. The Eagles thought it was a clean block, but a foul was called. That allowed Cruz to become the hero and extend Reading’s winning streak to 18 games. Ruben Rodriguez stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. He’ll enter the state playoffs with 1,912 career points. Grey chipped in with nine points. The all-county guard said the Red Knights don’t get rattled. “We go through a lot of things at practice that are way harder than this. It’s a matter of our preparation. We prepare at a high level,” he stated. Reading earned its third consecutive District 3 championship. Grey remarked, “You gotta commend Coach P on that. No matter who leaves [or] who comes in, it continues to build upon itself.” Rick Perez is (276-74) over twelve seasons with the Red Knights. He’s won two state gold medals, five District 3 titles, and six Berks Conference crowns. This is one victory that he’ll never forget.