Rick Perez-Reading

On Senior Night at the Geigle Complex, it was a junior that made pivotal plays down the stretch for the Red Knights. Yadiel Cruz came to Reading last year from the Dominican Republic. The 6’2 guard scored half of his 14 points in the fourth quarter of a 56-43 victory over Wilson. “He’s an outstanding basketball player. He’s growing in confidence. He’s always been an outstanding 3-point shooter…He’s the most humble of humble. He’s never too high and never too low,” said head coach Rick Perez. The (14-6, 6-4) Bulldogs outscored the Red Knights 20-8 in the third quarter to pull within 37-35. Cruz opened the final period with a trey from the right corner. He added a pair of free throws before draining a jumper along the left baseline. That shot put Reading in front 47-37 with 2:10 remaining. The (20-1, 10-0) Red Knights outscored Wilson 19-8 over the final eight minutes. Ruben and Aris Rodriguez finished with 16 points apiece. Aris, a 6’5 senior guard, jammed eight points into the second quarter. He went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the last period. Reading was up 29-15 at halftime. The Bulldogs had two long scoring droughts. They went almost five minutes before Cleveland Harding’s putback got them on the board. The Red Knights led 13-3 after the first quarter. Wilson was scoreless for three and a-half minutes in the final period. Cam Jones had a team-high ten points off the bench. This was his seventh game since returning from injury. Jones made a layup at the end of the third quarter to pull the Bulldogs within a deuce. Ofure Odiale chipped in with eight points. Seamus Breslin provided seven. Wilson was held ten points below its season average despite connecting six times from long distance. Reading splashed five 3-pointers. The defending Berks County champions ended up 21-27 from the foul line. The Bulldogs were 5-8. The Red Knights are (12-0) at home this season. “People are in awe when they come in. It’s an experience. It’s a blessing just to say that you played here. In addition, there’s no fan like ours,” remarked Perez. Reading is (513-97) at the Geigle since it opened in 1973. The Red Knights have won six consecutive meetings with Wilson. There are six seniors on Reading’s roster including four starters. I asked Perez about that class. He replied, “It’s a true family. There’s nothing we won’t do for each other. We got each other’s back through and through.”