Francis Camara-Reading

Paul Roberts — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 13:46:13 +0000

Reading and Coatesville squared off for the 56th time at Martz Hall in Pottsville. This time a trip to the Final Four was on the line in the PIAA-6A tournament. The Red Knights overcame a slow start and rolled to a 62-44 victory. Reading lost to the Red Raiders 69-51 two months ago, and trailed 18-5 in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon. Francis Camara said everything changed during a timeout midway through the second period. “Our boys started to lock in together. I tell them all the time, with us being together we can move mountains,” stated the first-year head coach. The (22-10) Red Knights also switched to a 2-3 zone defense. “We tried to limit their downhill drives and I think our zone did that. We tried to give them different looks and tried to make them uncomfortable. We were very active in the zone,” remarked Camara. Yadiel Cruz was fouled with 2:40 remaining in the first half. Lawrence Brown, a 6’7 sophomore, was also called for a technical foul. Cruz, the BCIAA Player of the Year, made four consecutive free throws to pull Reading within 18-13. That was part of a critical 12-0 run to end the second quarter. Coatesville led 18-17 at the break, but had lost momentum. Reading came out of the locker room on fire. The Red Knights outscored the Red Raiders 18-4 to open the third period. That 30-4 run over the middle quarters put the defending state champions in firm control. They were in front 39-26 entering the final period. Cruz erupted for 17 points in the second half as Reading’s transition game took over. The 6’2 senior finished with 25 points. “Every game he knows he’s gonna get double-teamed. Every game he knows that he’s the focal point of the other team’s scouting report, and every game he comes out and produces. He does it [while] loving his teammates. He’s the most humble kid,” emphasized Camara. Cruz is just eleven points shy of 1,000 in two seasons with the Red Knights. He went 11-for-15 from the foul line. Reading was 19-of-28 from the charity stripe, while Coatesville went 3-of-12. Nick Chapman provided nine points and some clever steals that led to easy layups. The 5’10 senior didn’t play in the first meeting with the Red Raiders due to an eye injury. Malik Osumanu, a 6’5 senior, blocked four shots and Weshly Rosario dished out five assists. Senior guards Nico Sosa and Daquan Burgess combined for eleven points off the bench. Zuri Harris had a team-high 13 points for Coatesville, the #6 seed from District 1. Amon Fowlkes chipped in with eleven points. Dior Kennedy, a 6’3 senior guard, was limited to four. The Red Raiders end up (22-9) in John Allen’s second year as head coach. Allen scored 2,372 points at Coatesville and guided the Red Raiders to their only state title in 2001. The Red Knights evened the all-time series with Coatesville at (28-28). These programs have piled up a total of more than 4,000 wins! Reading will meet Central York in the semifinals on Tuesday. Camara is enjoying the ride. “It’s been fun. If you see me on the sidelines, there’s a lot of sweat going on. I’m working my butt off. I love the journey with these boys. I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in,” he said.

Francis Camara-Reading

Paul Roberts — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:54:00 +0000

Reading entered Thursday allowing 64 points per game, second most in the Berks Conference. The Red Knights gave up 79 in a 24-point loss to Exeter on Tuesday at the Geigle Complex. They were back home to face rival Wilson and this time Reading’s defense was the story for a different reason. The Bulldogs were limited to a pair of field goals and nine points in the fourth quarter. The Red Knights extended their winning streak over Wilson to eight games with a thrilling 54-48 victory. “Our defense was very important. Our defense is what helped us seal the victory. We did a good job finding their shooters,” said head coach Francis Camara. Malik Osumanu, a 6’5 senior, came up with two pivotal blocks in the final 31 seconds. “Malik is a man. Malik does an amazing job. He probably doesn’t get enough credit. He’s a quiet kid. He does all the right things,” replied Camara. Daquan Burgess stole the ball and cruised in for a layup with just under two minutes remaining. His first basket of the night gave Reading a 50-48 lead. A technical foul was called on senior guard Nico Sosa while the Red Knights had the ball with 1:31 to go. The (8-3, 2-1) Bulldogs didn’t take advantage. Correll Akings missed both free throws and Luke Levan was called for traveling. Reading then turned it over and Matt Coldren called a timeout with 31 seconds left. Coldren was looking for his 400th career win. He’s spent 23 seasons as Wilson’s head coach. Tommy Hunsicker’s inbound pass found Madyx Gruber who was cutting toward the basket. Osumanu rejected the layup attempt and Weshly Rosario threw the ball up ahead to Burgess who was all alone. His layup put the (6-4, 2-1) Red Knights in front 52-48. Osumanu blocked Gruber’s 3-pointer and Yadiel Cruz finished off another fast break for the final margin. Cruz poured in a game-high 17 points including 13 in the second half. “Yadiel has improved every day since he’s been on this team. Yadiel is amazing. He works his butt off. He’s a smart player,” emphasized Camara. Cruz is averaging 20 ppg. The Bulldogs were up 13-12 after eight minutes and 26-22 at halftime. Gruber’s trey from the right wing gave them a 34-26 advantage with four and a-half minutes to play in the third quarter. Reading tied the game at 39-39 before the start of the fourth period. Camara was pleased with how his team stuck together. “It’s about playing for each other and playing through each other,” he stated. Rosario, a sophomore guard, had ten points. Sosa added eight off the bench. Akings and Levan, a 6’4 junior forward, scored 13 points apiece. Gruber chipped in with eight points. Wilson was 16-of-22 from the free throw line while the Red Knights went 7-of-12. Reading won despite making just one shot from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs connected four times from 3-point territory. It was a nice bounce back performance by the Red Knights after getting blown out by Exeter. “It’s great to watch them grow and learn from their mistakes…That’s the motto of the season for our team, grow and develop,” said Camara.

Francis – Berks Sports Report

Francis Camara-Reading

Francis Camara-Reading