Myles – Berks Sports Report

Myles Grey-Reading

Paul Roberts — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 17:56:00 +0000

Three seconds left in overtime, your team is down by one point, and you’re at the foul line. No, this wasn’t a movie. This was the District 3-6A Championship in front of an estimated 6,800 fans at the Giant Center. The young man at the line was Yadiel Cruz. He came to Reading from the Dominican Republic before the school year began. The 6’2 junior wasn’t fazed by the situation at all. In fact, Cruz was laughing in the huddle after Cumberland Valley called a timeout. He sank both free throws to propel the Red Knights to a 55-54 victory and their 24th District 3 title. “There’s nothing else to say but clutch. We all had faith in him. We all believed in him. He’s there smiling,” said senior guard Myles Grey. The second-seeded Eagles jumped out to an 8-2 lead and never backed down from #1 seed Reading. Cumberland Valley opened the second quarter with a 7-1 run to grab a 20-14 edge. Aris Rodriguez drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Red Knights up 29-26 at halftime. The 6’5 senior guard crammed eleven points into the second period and finished with a team-high 18. Rodriguez hit four triples and made five steals. Nolan Buzalka, a 6’3 sophomore, splashed a trey before the third quarter horn to pull the (21-4) Eagles within 42-41. They were making their first appearance in the finals since 1995 and seeking their first District 3 trophy. 6’5 senior Nolan Gilbert proved to be a handful for the (27-1) Red Knights. He poured in a game-high 24 points. A layup by Tzuriel Ogunnaike gave Cumberland Valley a 47-42 advantage with five and a-half minutes to go. Reading was scoreless for the first two minutes and 45 seconds of the fourth quarter. The Eagles were up 49-48 with one minute remaining when Ogunnaike missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Cruz went 1-of-2 from the foul line to tie it at 49 with 29 seconds left in regulation. J.D. Hunter connected from long distance to put Cumberland Valley in front 52-51 in overtime. The Eagles’ leading scorer then made two free throws with 56 seconds to play. After a floater by Aris Rodriguez, Hunter missed two foul shots with 25 seconds on the clock. Cumberland Valley had been 14-15 from the stripe before those misses. Rider commit Ruben Rodriguez drove down the lane and dished the ball to Cruz with time running out. The Eagles thought it was a clean block, but a foul was called. That allowed Cruz to become the hero and extend Reading’s winning streak to 18 games. Ruben Rodriguez stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. He’ll enter the state playoffs with 1,912 career points. Grey chipped in with nine points. The all-county guard said the Red Knights don’t get rattled. “We go through a lot of things at practice that are way harder than this. It’s a matter of our preparation. We prepare at a high level,” he stated. Reading earned its third consecutive District 3 championship. Grey remarked, “You gotta commend Coach P on that. No matter who leaves [or] who comes in, it continues to build upon itself.” Rick Perez is (276-74) over twelve seasons with the Red Knights. He’s won two state gold medals, five District 3 titles, and six Berks Conference crowns. This is one victory that he’ll never forget.

Myles Grey-Reading

Paul Roberts — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 00:13:00 +0000

Myles Grey is having a pretty good week. On Tuesday, he celebrated his birthday and got a new pair of Jordans. On Wednesday, the Red Knights’ senior guard was named MVP of Reading’s Holiday Tournament. Grey finished with 28 points, two shy of his career-high, in a 58-50 win over Devon Prep. The Tide raced out to a 15-2 advantage at the Geigle Complex. They beat Reading here 75-71 a year ago, and went on to capture the Class 3A state championship. Junior point guard Ty Mishock jammed a dozen points into the first quarter. The three-year starter splashed three 3-pointers. The Red Knights, who came in averaging 77 points a night, were scoreless for three minutes. They trailed 16-7 after eight minutes. All-state guard Ruben Rodriguez picked up his second foul 35 seconds into the second quarter. Grey connected twice from long distance and brought Reading within 27-25 at halftime. Although he was the smallest player on the court, Grey displayed a variety of moves in the paint. “It’s always been a part of my game, but it’s just now starting to be shown. I feel more confident and have a bigger role,” he replied. Senior forward Amier Burdine hit a triple early in the third quarter to give the (9-0) Red Knights their first lead at 28-27. It’s just the second 3-pointer of Burdine’s career. Grey provided seven points in the period. Devon Prep inbounded the ball with 1.7 seconds remaining. The (7-2) Tide threw it away and Rodriguez banked in a deep trey from the top of the key as time expired. “That was so unexpected. That’s a total momentum shift into the fourth [quarter] and we needed that a lot,” said Grey. Devon Prep was down 40-34 entering the final period. They were outscored 15-7 in the third quarter. Mishock sank one of his six shots from beyond the arc to make it 42-37. However, Grey answered with a long range 3-pointer with four and a-half minutes left. He then blew by his defender for a layup and scored in transition to give Reading a 51-38 edge. Aris Rodriguez made a trey from the left corner with 90 seconds to go. The 6’5 senior guard converted a three-point play with 46 seconds remaining for a 58-45 lead. Both Aris Rodriguez (9 points) and Ruben Rodriguez (14 points) were selected to the all-tournament team, along with Mishock (27 points) and Jacen Holloway (8 points) from Devon Prep. Holloway is a 6’4 senior who’s committed to Army. The third team all-state pick in Class 3A didn’t have a field goal after the first period. Lucas Orchard, a second team all-state selection, was held to seven points. He dropped 25 on the Red Knights last December. Grey enjoys Reading’s challenging non-league schedule. “We want to make the most of these games. If you’re a competitor, you like to compete,” he stated. The Red Knights are (6-0) at the Geigle this season. They went 13-of-18 from the free throw line, while the Tide was 17-20. Each team made seven 3-pointers. Grey told me that winter is his favorite season. This is one week in winter that he’ll never forget.

Myles Grey-Reading

Paul Roberts — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 22:58:00 +0000

Myles Grey was the smallest player on the floor Wednesday night when Downingtown West visited the Geigle Complex for a Class 6A state playoff opener. Grey was rudely introduced to the biggest player on the court in the first quarter. The 5’11 junior got leveled on a screen by Drew Shelton. The 6’5, 290-pound senior is committed to Penn State as an offensive tackle. Grey said, “I was kind of fired up after that.” He responded by drilling a 3-pointer on the next possession. Grey was able to joke about that sequence after scoring eleven points in a 56-42 victory over the (18-9) Whippets. Downingtown West, the #12 seed from District 1, trailed 13-2 before going on a 9-0 run. The (26-3) Red Knights led 13-11 after the first eight minutes. Point guard Dylan Blair hit consecutive triples to put the Whippets on top 19-16 midway through the second quarter. The 5’11 junior is a 1,000 point scorer. Blair dropped 24 points on Wilson in a 60-47 win on January 22nd. His father, Damien, is the head coach at West Chester University. Reading happens to have a dynamic junior guard of its own. Ruben Rodriguez’s three-point play pulled the Red Knights within 22-21 with one minute to go in the first half. Justin Walker finished a reverse layup before the buzzer for a 23-22 Reading advantage at the break. Grey told me that Walker is an energetic player and very positive person off the court. The 6’1 senior chipped in with five points off the bench. The Red Knights started the third quarter with a 9-2 run. They entered the final period with a 38-32 edge. Grey provided their first five points of the fourth quarter. He splashed a trey from the right corner and then made a floater in the lane. We discussed how he has worked on that part of his game. Grey was responsible for all three of Reading’s 3-pointers against Downingtown West. The all-division pick is up to 56 this season which puts him third in the Berks Conference. Cooper Hardin connected from beyond the arc in the left corner with 1:10 remaining. That shot got the Whippets within six points. Rodriguez sank four consecutive free throws and the Red Knights’ cushion was at 52-42 with 31 seconds to play. Rodriguez threw down a dunk for the exclamation point with twenty seconds on the clock. The slam followed one of 26 turnovers committed by Downingtown West. Grey talked about their game plan of trapping Blair and then denying him the ball. Blair had a team-high 15 points, but was scoreless in the fourth quarter. He fouled out with 31 seconds left. Rodriguez poured in 23 points including eight in the final period. The 6’1 junior raised his career total to 1,270. Xavier Davis added eight points for the District 3 champions. The Red Knights were 13-23 from the foul line. While it certainly wasn’t their best shooting night, they only had ten turnovers. Grey stressed how their shot selection improved after falling behind by four in the second quarter. He also emphasized how electric Rodriguez is in transition. The Berks County Player of the Year is averaging twenty points this season. Grey elaborated on the intense conditioning drills that the Red Knights do at practice. They believe that they can wear down teams in the second half. Reading outscored Downingtown West 33-20 over the last sixteen minutes. 6’9 junior Jake Warren ended up with eight points and Shelton had seven. The Whippets went 6-9 from the charity stripe and made six 3-pointers. This was the final home game of the season for the Red Knights. They went (13-1) at the Geigle. They’re (501-97) at the well known venue since it opened before the 1973-‘74 season. Reading will square off with Archbishop Wood in the second round on Saturday. The Red Knights defeated the Vikings 58-57 in last year’s state final. Reading got past Wood 64-58 on January 22nd. Rodriguez had 19 points in that one.

Myles Grey-Reading

Paul Roberts — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 23:21:00 +0000

With the Red Knights once again shorthanded, Myles Grey took over in the third quarter against Berks Catholic. Grey connected on two 3-pointers and scored ten of Reading’s 14 points in that period. His fourth 3-ball of the night put the Red Knights up 42-27 midway through the third quarter. They went on to win 67-51 and improve to (7-1, 3-0). Grey ended up with a career-high 19 points. The 5’11 junior told me that this performance will really help his confidence. He finished in double digits for the fourth straight game. Grey averaged four points as a sophomore when Reading captured the Class 6A state championship. He’s providing ten points per game this season. I asked what it’s like playing alongside all-state guard Ruben Rodriguez. Grey replied with a smile, “He’s Ruben Rodriguez. That’s really all you have to say.” Rodriguez had a season-high 24 points vs. the (6-1, 2-1) Saints. The Red Knights trailed 14-13 after the first quarter. They outscored Berks Catholic 21-9 in the decisive second period. According to Grey, the defensive intensity made the difference. Reading forced 19 turnovers. The Red Knights opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run. They held the Saints scoreless for the first three minutes and twenty seconds of the third quarter. Reading was up 48-37 entering the final period. Grey loves the energy that the fans bring to the Geigle Complex. He knows it’s a difficult place for opponents. The Red Knights are (492-97) all-time at the Geigle. Head coach Rick Perez chimed in my interview with Grey. He said, “first in the gym and last out of the gym.” Grey believes that he would win a 3-point contest with all of his teammates. We also discussed his favorite TV shows and hip-hop artists. This was the 300th game for Perez as Reading’s head coach. He’s (230-70) with two state titles, three District 3 championships, and four Berks County titles. The Red Knights were without Daniel Alcantara, Joey Chapman, and Aris Rodriguez for the third game in a row. Perez said there’s no timetable for their return. Alcantara is averaging nearly 19 points. Junior guard JayJay Jordan led the Saints with 19 points. Ryan Koch chipped in with ten points. Each team made six 3-pointers. Berks Catholic already has as many victories as last season when the Saints were (6-11).