Ruben Rodriguez-Reading

The winningest boys basketball program in Pennsylvania history met a perennial power from the Philadelphia Catholic League on Saturday night at the Giant Center. Reading and Roman Catholic have combined for seven PIAA championships. The Class 6A Final lived up to the hype. The 5,025 people in attendance saw an instant classic. The Red Knights prevailed 63-56 in overtime for their third state title in seven years. “It honestly feels like a dream. It doesn’t feel real, said Ruben Rodriguez. The Rider commit, who finished with 2,008 career points, got his second foul with 1:48 left in the first quarter. Nick Chapman’s layup at the buzzer gave Reading a 12-10 edge after eight minutes. Myles Grey, a starter on the 2021 state championship team alongside Rodriguez, provided seven points in the opening period. 6’6 senior Anthony Finkley picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter. Finkley and point guard Xzayvier Brown are staying close to home. They’re both headed to Saint Joseph’s. The (27-4) Cahillites trailed 23-19 at halftime. Roman Catholic committed 11 turnovers in the first 16 minutes and 17 overall. Aris Rodriguez kicked off the second half with a trey from the top of the key. The Red Knights’ largest lead of nine points came with six and a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Aris Rodriguez hit another triple to make it 36-28. The 6’5 senior ended up with a team-high 16 points on 5-13 shooting. A putback before the horn by 6’8 sophomore Shareef Jackson pulled the District 12 champs within 43-39 entering the final period. Jackson’s father, Marc, played at Roman Catholic, Temple, and then in the NBA for seven seasons. Shareef piled up 17 points and 11 boards. Brown heated up in the second half. 17 of his game-high 23 points came after the break. The 6’1 senior converted a three-point play with 5:41 to go, but the 47-46 advantage disappeared quickly. Chapman connected on a 3-pointer from the left corner on the following possession. The 5’10 junior had a career-high nine points including seven of Reading’s ten points in the fourth quarter. Chapman averaged 2 ppg. this year. His older brother, Joey, had a pivotal steal in the final seconds of the 2021 championship game versus Archbishop Wood. Nick stole the show this time in Hershey. He made a pair of free throws with 27 seconds to play to break a tie at 51. Robert Cottrell, who had 15 points in the semifinals, was fouled with twelve seconds on the clock. The 5’11 junior went 1-of-2. Aris Rodriguez then missed the front end of a 1-and-1. The score remained 53-52 with nine seconds left. Brown drew a foul with two seconds remaining. With the crowd roaring, he missed the first attempt and made the second to force overtime. Brown nailed two free throws early in OT for a 56-54 lead, but the Cahillites wouldn’t score again. Yadiel Cruz went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. After Finkley missed a turnaround jumper in the lane, Aris Rodriguez splashed a couple of clutch foul shots with 24 seconds to go. The (32-1) Red Knights were on top 59-56 when Brown turned the ball over. Grey scooped it up and was fouled. The 5’11 senior calmly sank both free throws to seal the victory. The all-county selection had 14 points. Chapman picked Brown’s pocket in the closing seconds. He threw the ball ahead to Aris Rodriguez for a breakaway dunk that set off a wild celebration and capped a 9-0 run. The bench points were 19-0 in favor of Reading. Roman Catholic was without seniors Jermai Stewart-Herring and Erik Oliver-Bush due to the PIAA’s transfer rule. Stewart-Herring was their second-leading scorer at 13 ppg. The Cahillites were held ten points below their season average by the scrappy Red Knights. Ruben Rodriguez stuffed 8 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals into 31 minutes. The 6’2 guard enjoys facing opponents from the PCL. “We love playing them. We love the smoke,” he replied. Reading was 7-16 from beyond the arc, while Roman Catholic went 3-12. There were 49 combined free throw attempts. The Red Knights converted 16-24. The Cahillites went 19-25. Rodriguez praised head coach Rick Perez. “He’s the heart and soul of our team and now he’s a three-time champion,” exclaimed Rodriguez. Perez is (281-74) over a dozen seasons. He has more wins than any coach in Reading history. Roman Catholic slipped to (32-9) all-time in the PIAA playoffs. Meanwhile, the Red Knights captured state gold for the second time in three years. “Pennsylvania, we run it,” stated Rodriguez.