The Red Knights won at York 70-60 back on December 6th. The Bearcats came out with a much more aggressive mentality this time around. They pounded the offensive glass and held Reading scoreless for three minutes and fifteen seconds. A 3-pointer by Sincere Burgos made it 7-0 after two minutes. Justin Brown came off the bench and hit a triple from the left corner with five seconds left in the opening quarter. The Red Knights trailed 22-10 after eight minutes and point guard Weshly Rosario had picked up a pair of fouls. He’s the lone senior in Reading’s starting lineup. Meanwhile, six different players scored for York in the first quarter.

The Bearcats began the second period with a pivotal 16-to-6 run. Nasir Barnes made three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc with five and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. The 6’1 junior point guard was just getting warmed up. He piled up 33 points and nine assists. Barnes is already the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,614 career points. The smooth southpaw splashed a trey midway through the second quarter to give York a 33-16 advantage. A three-point play by Brown increased the margin to 38-16 with three minutes to go before halftime. The Red Knights closed out the half on a 13-to-2 run to finally gain some momentum. Javon Merriweather nailed a triple and Jostin DeCastro provided two three-point plays. DeCastro finished with a team-high 20 points before fouling out with 2:35 left. The 6’3 junior guard squeezed ten points into the third quarter. Reading was behind 40-29 at halftime.

A three-point play by Barnes put York in front 50-33 with 3:40 to play in the third period. The Red Knights responded with eight straight points. “A well-coached team, a lot of talented players, and we know Reading is gonna be tough and physical,” acknowledged Glover. The Bearcats maintained a 61-47 edge entering the fourth quarter. They missed their first four foul shots to start the period. Merriweather connected from long range to pull the Red Knights within 74-64 with 2:40 remaining. The 6’2 sophomore drained another trey from the left wing to make it 78-69 with two minutes on the clock. However, York sealed the deal with the final seven points including a 3-pointer from Barnes. He poured in 13 points over the last eight minutes. “Everyone knows he can score the basketball. I’ve challenged him to not just be the best scorer in District 3, be the best player. Be a leader, get other guys involved, and make sure we control the tempo,” remarked Glover.

When Barnes wasn’t scoring, he was getting into the lane and finding his teammates for easy buckets. He also spent a lot of time at the foul line, going a perfect 12-for-12. Brandon DeShields, a 6’6 senior, had 13 points. Yoziah Romero and Brown added ten points apiece. Dawone Hodges, a 6’3 senior, chipped in with eight points. The Bearcats went 24-of-31 from the stripe, while Reading was 20-of-26. York made seven 3-pointers, compared to just three for the Red Knights. Raybin Rubio provided a spark for Reading with a dozen points. The sophomore guard became a starter a few games ago. Rosario had ten points in his finale.

York clinched a berth in the state playoffs. The top eight teams in Class 6A advance to the PIAA tournament. Red Knights’ head coach Rick Perez will enter next season with 299 career wins. He’ll have a much more experienced squad next winter. DeCastro, Merriweather, Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones, Jamier Jacob, Rubio, and freshman Tai’je Slaughter will return. “This game has become much more than winning and losing to me. I fell short of being able to impose that on our guys and have them believe in that. That has always been the driving force to this program. I pray I can teach that, and show them that playing for something bigger than wins, losses and championships can take you further than you imagined. I will be better,” said Perez.

Reading knocked down all five of its 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Rosario hit a pair of triples and sophomore Javon Merriweather came off the bench to make two more treys. The (14-4, 7-2) Muhls found themselves in a 23-13 hole after eight minutes. Mike Miller Jr. jammed eight points into the first period, but he picked up his fourth foul with 6:53 left in the first half. The senior forward fouled out with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Red Knights were in front 40-24 at halftime and they got a bucket from DeCastro to begin the second half.

Jadin Perez, the son of Reading head coach Rick Perez, splashed a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. Eli Hemmings, a 6’4 junior guard, then made two free throws to pull Muhlenberg within 50-41. Hemmings was fouled on the Muhls’ next possession. He split a pair of foul shots, grabbed an offensive rebound after his second attempt, and was fouled again. Hemmings connected twice from the stripe and Reading’s lead had quickly dwindled to 50-44 with 1:45 to play in the third period. The Red Knights were outscored 21-12 in that quarter. They were on top 52-45 entering the last eight minutes.

Perez buried another triple from the left corner and then found sophomore Rhyon Hutchinson for a layup. The fans were going crazy as Muhlenberg made it 53-50 with 6:29 on the clock. However, Reading responded with a pivotal 8-0 run. DeCastro gave credit to Perez who earned his 294th career win. “The talent is there on our team. We can go up against anybody. Our only problem is our emotions. Coach P. does a lot of keeping us together and keeping our emotions in check,” noted DeCastro. Following a turnover by the Muhls, DeCastro finished a breakaway layup for a 69-57 edge with 1:18 left. He converted two important free throws with 36 seconds remaining. Perez sank his third 3-pointer from the left corner to get Muhlenberg within 71-66 with 24 seconds to go. Rosario answered with two clutch foul shots three seconds later. The Red Knights ended up 27-of-39 from the stripe. They were 18-of-24 in the fourth quarter. Rosario connected on 12 of his 17 attempts, while DeCastro was 8-for-10. Jamier Jacob chipped in with nine points and Merriweather added eight. Reading won for the fifth time in six games, despite committing 19 turnovers.

Hemmings had a team-high 23 points for the Muhls, including 21 in the second half. He scored a game-high 25 points when Muhlenberg defeated Reading last month. Nelson “Coco” Malave, a transfer from Reading, contributed ten points on Thursday. Perez, a 6’4 senior, was responsible for nine of the Muhls’ 17 bench points. Miller and junior point guard LJ Armstrong ended up with eight points apiece. Muhlenberg drained eight treys and went 16-for-24 from the foul line. Their five-game winning streak came to a halt.

Four teams in Division 1 of the Berks Conference are within two games. Berks Catholic is atop the standings with a (8-1) league mark. The Red Knights and Muhls are tied for second place at (7-2). Wilson, which won 55-51 at Exeter on Thursday, is still in the mix at (6-3). “Right now, it’s up in the air. There’s no guarantee who’s gonna win,” said DeCastro.

Perez will be counting on his backcourt of Weshly Rosario and Jostin DeCastro to lead the way. DeCastro averaged 12.9 points per game as a sophomore last year. “Jostin is a diamond in the rough. His game just keeps ascending. As he learns more, he wants more,” said Perez. The 6’2 guard was Reading’s second-leading scorer during the 2024-25 campaign. “Jostin reminds me of when Daniel Alcantara burst on the scene. They have different playing styles, but how smooth they are and their feel for the game is similar. His best basketball is yet to come,” remarked Perez. DeCastro poured in 20 points in a 88-80 win over Muhlenberg in late January. He had 14 points when the Red Knights upset top-seeded Berks Catholic 48-41 in the BCIAA semifinals. Reading had won nine out of ten games before falling to Wilson 55-39 in the Berks County Championship at Santander Arena. DeCastro only made two 3-pointers in 25 games. He got in the gym and started practicing his long range shot as soon as the season ended. “I saw how they were playing me in the county championship game and I knew I had to work on that. It’s a big part of basketball now,” he explained.

Rosario will run the show for the Red Knights this winter. The 6’ senior point guard is a tremendous passer with great vision. DeCastro enjoys playing with Rosario. “It’s a lot of fun. He connects the whole team. We all come together with him on the court. He finds you, he looks you open sometimes,” replied DeCastro. Rosario averaged 12 ppg. last year. He erupted for 28 points in the victory over Muhlenberg on January 23rd at the Geigle Complex. Rosario will be setting up a pair of young guards this season. Cameron “Bron Bron” Jones and Javon Merriweather are a couple of sophomores to keep an eye on. Jamier Jacob will need to provide a presence in the paint for the undersized Red Knights. The 6’2, 215-pound junior was a TE/DE on the football team this fall.

Reading finished (13-12) after a (1-6) start last year. The Red Knights didn’t qualify for the District III playoffs for the first time since 2001. Expectations are always high on North 13th Street. Reading holds the state record with 2,281 all-time wins. The boys basketball program has been around for 125 years. The Red Knights have racked up 25 BCIAA championships, 24 District III titles, and 20 Central Penn League crowns. Reading begins its season at the York High tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Red Knights’ home opener is Tuesday, December 9th against McCaskey. “I’m really excited. Last year we came up short and I’m glad that we have the opportunity to come back and prove ourselves,” said DeCastro.