City of Basketball Love

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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KUTZTOWN — Having studied the statistical trends, watched some video and maybe took in a game or two earlier in the postseason, Reading decided to test fate and tempt North Penn into launching some shots from well out on the perimeter.

Yep, a 2-3 zone defense was the early call against the Knights. Particularly since the numbers indicated that the District 1 side wasn’t all that efficient from deep.

So when the shots went up, Rick Perez and his Reading staff were delighted.

When a number of them fell, not so much.

Once Perez instructed his youngsters to shelve the zone between the first and second quarters, jump into some nasty man and pick up North Penn’s backcourt personnel as soon as the basketball was inbounded, Reading’s fortunes changed quickly.

Eventually, a 58-45 victory followed.

While the defense really got the Red Knights going, seniors Tyrone Nesby, Lonnie Walker and Isiah Cook got busy at the offensive end, collecting 17, 15 and 11 points, respectively, as Reading collared its opening-round scrap in the PIAA’s topsy-turvy Class 6A tournament Saturday afternoon at Kutztown University’s howling Keystone Arena.

Nesby and Cook added five boards each for Reading (26-3), which will meet District 1 surprise Perkiomen Valley in Wednesday night’s second round.

Perkiomen Valley was involved in one of 6A’s many opening-round surprises, ending Roman Catholic’s two-year reign by upending the Cahillites 57-55.

A.J. Mitchell was the lone player to reach double figures for John Conrad’s Knights (21-7), scoring 10 points. Yet Mitchell was one of the four Knights who canned a 3-pointer in the opening quarter as North Penn opened an 18-9 advantage with 1:07 to go.

North Penn, in fact, was 4-for-7 from the arc while constructing its early lead.

“When I saw them hit that [last] 3, I was like, ‘Are we gonna play roulette here or are they don’t for the night?’” Perez wondered. “Do we want to stay zone and play roulette, but we had to build our pressure because we have to stick with our habits.

“And it’s what our young men enjoy doing.”

“They were knocking down shots,” Walker added. “They were shooting the ball with rhythm. They were feeling it, talking trash, confident.

“Everything was going their way in the first quarter, but when we go to our man and get into that full-court defense it just wears and tears people down.”

Once Reading scrapped its zone, the District 1 Knights went just 1-for-12 from deep.

While Nesby pocketed a 3-pointer late in the opening quarter to slice Reading’s deficit to 18-12 — the 6-5 senior was 4-for-6 from the arc in the first half —another deep look tumbled through the net early in the second stanza.

“That’s Tyrone,” Walker said of Nesby, who relocated to Reading after spending his first three varsity seasons across the city at Berks Catholic. “It’s not even a congratulations, it’s not even a pat on the back, it’s expected. Tyrone’s the best shooter in Berks County and one of the best shooters in the state, in my opinion.

“A little underrated, but everything he does we’re just so blessed that he’s in the position and that he happened to come to Reading High. He’s a great player, has great size and he can do what he wants when he wants when he puts his mind to it.

“He’s my partner in crime,” Walker added.

Derek Heiserman answered with a deuce for North Penn, but with the feet moving quickly and the defense beginning to prove disruptive it wasn’t long before Reading was flush with momentum and using a 21-3 explosion to close the half.

That’s right, 21-3.

“North Penn’s a very good basketball team and hats off to them, they had an amazing season,” Perez said of Conrad’s Knights. “But you get to the state tournament and you can’t give up open 3s and they opened it up when they hit four 3s in the first quarter — and they weren’t contested. … They did a great job knocking down some open 3s.

“Our young men did a great job responding,” Perez continued. “They played at a high level and it was a fun half to watch.”

Walker’s steal and thunderous tomahawk flush with 5:16 remaining in the half — even though North Penn continued to cling to a 20-19 advantage — had to wobble Conrad’s Knights. It certainly ignited Reading’s passionate partisans.

So did the rest of the opening half — courtesy of that 21-3 close.

“Once we started building the momentum, we had to keep packing on that, keep building on that,” Nesby said. “Keep attacking the ball, keep taking our open shots and keep being aggressive.”

Nesby certainly did his part by knocking down four of his six looks from deep en route to 12 first-half points. Walker matched his 6-5 classmate with 12 of his own.

Yet …

“The best part of the second quarter is the fact it was a five-point quarter,” Perez admitted. “So, not only are we speeding up the game, we’re getting stops.”

“Our defense is what gets us going,” Nesby added. “We know if we don’t play defense, our offense isn’t going to be that good. We all come together as a team, decide what we need to do and defensively we really picked it up tonight.”

Up 36-23 at the halftime break, Reading stretched its lead to 19 (50-31) when Walker sliced into the paint and flipped a shot toward the rim that fell even though he nearly had his head taken off in the lane. The and-one also was successful.

“It’s a beautiful thing when we we’re all in sync and we all have one goal,” a grinning Walker said. “And that’s to just win.”

North Penn was able to get to within 12 twice in the fourth quarter, but Reading’s defensive adjustment certainly had its game-altering effect.

That quick tactical change also propelled the Red Knights one round deeper.

“We did a great job today,” Nesby said. “Now we’re on to Wednesday.”

“We’re excited,” Walker added. “We know what it feels like to lose [in the early rounds] and it hurts. We don’t want that feeling ever again.”

~~~

CLASS 6A
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 11
Central Dauphin East 64, Abington 63 (OT)
Archbishop Ryan 77, Parkland 55
Hempfield 62, William Allen 57
Williamsport 59, Penn Wood 41
Perkiomen Valley 57, Roman Catholic 55
Reading 58, North Penn 45
Plymouth-Whitemarsh 80, Lebanon 64
Pocono Mountain West 71, Lower Merion 57
Harrisburg 55, Downingtown 34
Emmaus 68, Cheltenham 67
Abraham Lincoln 66, Conestoga 60
Carlisle 64, Coatesville 56
State College 82, Woodland Hills 71
Butler 51, Canon-McMillan 46
Pine-Richland 83, Latrobe 82
Taylor Allderdice 85, North Hills 61

SECOND ROUND
Wednesday, March 15
Sites and times, TBA
Central Dauphin East (3-6, 17-10) vs. Archbishop Ryan (12-3, 21-5)
Hempfield (3-2, 20-9) vs. Williamsport (4-1, 21-4)
Perkiomen Valley (1-8, 23-6) vs. Reading (3-3, 26-3)
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1-3, 24-5) vs. Pocono Mountain West (11-1, 23-4)
Harrisburg (3-1, 20-6) vs. Emmaus (11-4, 21-6)
Abraham Lincoln (12-2, 23-5) vs. Carlisle (3-5, 19-8)
State College (6-1, 21-4) vs. Butler (7-2, 18-9)
Pine-Richland (7-1, 25-1) vs. Taylor Allderdice (8-1, 19-8)

~~~

CLASS 4A

FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 5
West Philadelphia 78, Lancaster Catholic 65
Wilkes-Barre GAR Memorial 72, Selinsgrove 59
Conwell-Egan 81, Saucon Valley 59
Nanticoke 58, Bethlehem Catholic 56
Imhotep Charter 74, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt 41
Scranton Prep 99, Salisbury 46
Universal Audenried 84, Jim Thorpe 36
Berks Catholic 59, Lewisburg 39
Middletown 71, Danville 56
Johnstown 62, Schuylkill Valley 52
Quaker Valley 76, Harbor Creek 52
Grove City 57, Central Valley 50
New Castle 72, Sharon 38
McGuffey 48, Clearfield 46
Beaver Falls 62, Central Martinsburg 52
Erie Strong Vincent 67, South Fayette 48

SECOND ROUND
Wednesday, March 15
Sites and times, TBA

West Philadelphia (12-4, 14-9) vs. Wilkes-Barre GAR Memorial (2-2, 19-7)
Conwell-Egan (12-2, 10-14)) vs. Nanticoke (2-3, 19-7)
Imhotep Charter (12-1, 27-2) vs. Scranton Prep (2-1, 23-3)
Universal Audenried (12-3, 19-5) vs. Berks Catholic (3-3, 22-7)
Middletown (3-2, 21-5) vs. Johnstown (6-1, 16-10)
Quaker Valley (7-2, 23-3) vs. Grove City (10-2, 20-6)
New Castle (7-1, 24-2) vs. McGuffey (7-5, 19-6)
Beaver Falls (7-4, 13-9) vs. Erie Strong Vincent (10-1, 24-3)

~~~

CLASS 2A
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 11

Julia Masterman 70, Marian Catholic 62
Halifax 47, Muncy 42 (OT)
Northeast Bradford 41, Mountain View 38
Math, Civics & Sciences 52, Christopher Dock 35
Constitution 53, Church Farm 49
Scranton Holy Cross 52, Shenandoah Valley 35
Ridgway 54, North Penn-Mansfield 50
Berlin Brothersvalley 66, Purchase Line 62
Sewickley Academy 60, Rocky Grove 47
Altoona Bishop Guilfoyle 36, McConnellsburg 35
Greensburg Central Catholic 66, West Middlesex 53
Coudersport 80, United 45
Johnstown Bishop McCort 65, Jeannette 51
Our Lady of Sacred Heart 61, Cambridge Springs 52
Bishop Canevin 74, Brockway 38
Wilmington 69, Chartiers-Houston 38

SECOND ROUND
Wednesday, March 15
Sites and times, TBA
Julia Masterman (12-3, 21-5) vs. Halifax (3-1, 17-10)
Northeast Bradford (4-2, 16-10) vs. Math, Civics & Sciences (12-1, 19-9)
Constitution (12-2, 16-9) vs. Scranton Holy Cross (2-1, 19-8)
Ridgway (9-3, 22-5) vs. Berlin Brothersvalley (5-1, 17-9) Purchase Line (6-3, 16-9)
Sewickley Academy (7-1, 21-4) vs. Altoona Bishop Guilfoyle (6-2, 18-7)
Greensburg Central Catholic (7-4, 24-1) vs. Coudersport (9-1, 25-0)
Johnstown Bishop McCort (6-1, 22-4) vs. Our Lady of Sacred Heart (7-2, 19-7)
Bishop Canevin (7-3, 20-5) vs. Wilmington (10-1, 19-7)