Rick Perez-Reading

All-state guard Ruben Rodriguez reached 1,000 career points on a layup early in the fourth quarter against Vertical Academy. The Red Knights were up ten points and the crowd of 4,400 was loving every minute of it. However, the squad from Charlotte wasn’t about to go down without a fight. An 8-0 run got Vertical Academy within 57-55 midway through the final period. Treymane Parker connected from beyond the arc with two minutes left to even it up at 61. The 6’3 junior drilled another 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining for a 66-63 advantage. Parker had 14 points, but his team wouldn’t score again. Reading went on an 8-0 run to pull out a dramatic 71-66 victory. Myles Grey came up with a gigantic steal with the Red Knights trailing 66-65. The 5’11 junior threw the ball ahead to Rodriguez for a go-ahead layup with 13 seconds remaining. Mikey Williams was then fouled near midcourt by Joey Chapman. Williams is ranked #16 in the Class of 2023 by ESPN. The 6’3 junior has offers from several colleges including Kansas, Memphis, USC, and Arizona State. Williams, who finished with a team-high 18 points, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with eight seconds left. Chapman and Rodriguez went 4-4 from the free throw line in the closing seconds to kick off a celebration. Rodriguez stands at 1,006 points following his 22-point performance. He scored 288 points as a freshman at Muhlenberg before transferring to Reading. 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara added 14 points. His one-handed slam put the Red Knights in front 39-29 with a minute to go in the second quarter. Vertical Academy fell behind 39-31 at halftime and 52-45 after the third quarter. Chapman chipped in with ten points and Grey had nine. Aris Rodriguez splashed two of Reading’s four 3-pointers. The (14-2) Red Knights were 13-20 from the free throw line. They converted 9-of-10 in the final period. Vertical Academy was 6-9 from the charity stripe. Williams made three of their six 3’s. He received a technical foul with 6:48 left in the third quarter. His fourth foul sent him to the bench three minutes later. 6’9 senior Khouri Carvey provided a dozen points. Head coach Rick Perez explained why Rodriguez is so special. Perez said, “He’s a born winner.” We talked about Grey’s clutch steal and the potential of Aris Rodriguez. Perez felt like Reading showed more grit than Vertical Academy. He praised the fans for their support. Reading squares off against Archbishop Wood on Saturday night in a rematch of the Class 6A state championship. That will be the last of six games that comprise the Geigle Classic. The Red Knights have won eight of their last nine contests. They’re averaging 72 points.