Ruben Rodriguez-Reading

We’ve all heard the saying that defense wins championships. Well, it can also win semifinals. The Red Knights forced 18 turnovers in a 46-39 victory over fifth-seeded Cedar Cliff in the District 3-6A semifinals. With 6’5 senior Daniel Alcantara out due to a broken left hand, Reading had no one taller than 6’2 in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Colts’ frontcourt features the Houser brothers. Tyler is a 6’9 senior who averages 20 points per game. He’s committed to VMI. Justin is a 6’10 sophomore who comes off the bench. The combination of Joey Chapman, Xavier Davis, and Amier Burdine played extremely physical low post defense. They never let Tyler Houser get comfortable and limited his touches in the paint. He was held to ten points after getting shutout in the first half. Justin Houser scored nine points, but just two came after the opening quarter. The top-seeded Red Knights raced out to a 12-2 advantage. Ruben Rodriguez told me that everyone gave extra effort as a tribute to Alcantara who was injured last Friday against Wilson in the quarterfinals. Alcantara has 1,056 career points. The all-county selection was averaging 16 points this season. Chapman wore #21 to honor his best friend who couldn’t be on the court. The Reading players and coaches had #21 t-shirts on before the game. The (24-3) Red Knights decided to shorten the contest with Cedar Cliff using a 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone. They spread the floor and held the ball for between one minute and 90 seconds at the end of the first three periods. Aris Rodriguez drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing at the end of the first quarter. Reading was on top 20-13 after eight minutes. Ruben Rodriguez had a tip-in that barely beat the halftime buzzer. He mentioned how energized the team was going into the locker room up 29-20. The 46 points was a season-low for the typically uptempo Red Knights who were averaging 72 points a night. Rodriguez said, “It’s playoff time so every possession matters.” The 6’1 junior threw down a one-handed dunk to make it 37-24 with four and a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter. The (21-5) Colts, under the direction of former Tulpehocken head coach Tigh Savercool, came out of their zone defense late in that period. Savercool guided Cedar Cliff to the Mid-Penn Conference championship this season. The Colts trailed 37-24 with eight minutes to go. They managed just four points in the third quarter and went scoreless for the first two and a-half minutes of the final quarter. Junior guard Ayden Frey (8 points) hit two triples to pull Cedar Cliff within 40-35 with 1:45 left. Rodriguez and Justin Walker combined to sink six consecutive free throws over the last minute to end the threat. Rodriguez had a game-high 21 points. The all-state guard increased his career total to 1,224. Myles Grey chipped in with seven points. The 5’11 junior knocked down his 52nd trey of the year. Chapman provided six points and a lot of muscle on defense. I jokingly asked Rodriguez what would happen if he had to wrestle Chapman. Rodriguez knows that would be a mismatch! Reading was 11-16 from the foul line, while the Colts went 4-4. Rodriguez can’t wait to play at the Giant Center again. The Red Knights will battle #7 seed Warwick on Saturday at 7:45pm. Reading is looking for its 23rd District 3 championship. The Red Knights are (133-51) all-time in the District 3 playoffs. Speaking of history, the win over Cedar Cliff was #500 for Reading at the Geigle Complex which opened prior to the 1973-‘74 season. The Red Knights are (500-97) at the well known venue which holds 3,400 people.