Ruben Rodriguez-Reading

Yadiel Cruz probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think about the Reading boys basketball team. Ruben Rodriguez has scored 1,475 points and is committed to Rider. 6’5 senior guard Aris Rodriguez has seen his stock rise tremendously this year. Myles Grey is one of the elite sharpshooters in Berks County. Amier Burdine is an experienced player who recently picked up Division I football offers from Saint Francis and Sacred Heart. Cruz rounds out the starting lineup, but flies under the radar. Well, at least until recently he did. Cruz helped the (7-0) Red Knights break open a close game versus Chester with 11 points in the final quarter. The 6’2 junior guard finished with a career-high 14 points in a 71-57 victory. “He’s a threat all around. [On] the defensive end, he does a great job rebounding and fighting down low with the bigs. Offensively, he can do whatever he wants,” said Ruben Rodriguez. Cruz has reached double figures in three straight games. Rodriguez is no stranger to putting up points. He dropped 26 on the (3-3) Clippers who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt. “It’s always a fun game. That’s a great program. They’re always athletic and really strong. That’s always a good game for us to have, playing against that physicality,” noted Rodriguez. The 6’2 all-state guard knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the opening period. Reading jumped on top of Chester 13-4 after just four and a-half minutes. Terrence Cobb hit a couple of triples to get the Clippers back in it. Cobb entered the night averaging a team-high 22 points. The 6’1 senior poured in 24 points at the Geigle Complex on Wednesday. Cobb and junior guard Kyree Womack combined for 11 of Chester’s 13 points in the second quarter. The Red Knights were in front 29-23 at the break. Cobb started the second half with a shot from beyond the arc. He splashed another with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter. That 3-pointer pulled the Clippers within 42-38. Chester head coach Keith Taylor picked up a technical foul with five seconds left in the period. Taylor earned his 100th career win earlier this season. It’s his sixth year at the helm of the Clippers. He coached their JV squad for 13 seasons. Reading led 46-38 with eight minutes to go. The Red Knights exploded for 25 points in the fourth quarter. Rodriguez provided nine and converted a nifty behind the back pass from Grey. “We were just getting up smarter shots. The first half I fell like we were forcing a lot of 3’s up. The second half we did a good job of really pushing it and getting out on the fast break, and finding easy layups,” emphasized Rodriguez. Grey chipped in with ten points and Nico Sosa had nine off the bench. Reading went 18-of-27 from the free throw line, while Chester was 13-19. Womack scored 13 points before fouling out. Power forward Dominic Toy was limited to two points. The 6’5, 220-pound junior is a tight end on the Clippers’ football team. Toy has offers from Temple, Rutgers, and Boston College. Rodriguez praised Burdine for his hard work in the paint. “That’s my dog. I’m never surprised by the stuff he does. With him you get everything you need; athleticism, smarts, [and] a great personality,” replied Rodriguez. Reading and Chester are the winningest basketball programs in Pennsylvania. The Red Knights and Clippers have combined for 4,217 victories. Reading leads the way with 2,221. Chester has captured eight state championships. The Clippers have been the state runner-up ten times. The Red Knights own two state titles and a record 23 District III championships. Chester has claimed District I gold 25 times. This round between the perennial powers went to Reading.