City of Basketball Love

By Matt Gaffney (@GaffReports)
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Reading High’s Geigle Complex was the site Friday night for an eagerly awaited doubleheader between PCL and Berks County League teams and it did not disappoint.

In the opener, Bonner Prendergast pulled away from a hungry Muhlenberg team 79-59.

Kevin Rucker Jr. took home MVP for the Friars and Xzayvion Robertson was named MVP for the Muhls. While both are talented teams, it turned out it was a basic appetizer for the game of the night.

The nightcap between Cardinal O’Hara and Reading High was an electric, high-intensity game filled with drastic swings in momentum. Though the calendar clearly shows December, this game had March vibes with plenty of big shots, drama and talent on display. The Red Knights clawed back from a 19-point first-half deficit to stun the Lions, 68-65 in a game that gave Reading coach Rick Perez a program record 252 wins.

Though Cardinal O’Hara couldn’t get the win, the experience of playing in this type of game in a hostile environment served them well. O’Hara coach Ryan Nemetz said it gets his team ready for the rugged PCL that awaits.

“Being on the road against a talented, well coached team with their fans behind them is good for us,” said Nemetz. “It’s why we scheduled it. They (Reading) have a really good culture, a good team and talent.”

Early on though, it looked as if O’Hara might do the unthinkable and run the Reading team out of their own gym and ruin a night where they hoped to celebrate their coach’s accomplishment.  

The Lions came out sizzling, hitting their first six shots as they jumped out to an early double-digit lead.

Iona-commit Izaiah Pasha (17 points) led the early parade of perfection with a 4-for-4 start in the first quarter as the Lions led 23-12.

Cardinal O’Hara kept the hot shooting going in the second quarter with Pasha’s backcourt mate, 6’2 junior guard Aasim “Flash” Burton (14 points), doing a lot of the damage. The lightning-fast duo matched the tempo of the Red Knights as they attacked the basket repeatedly, combining for 22 of O’Hara’s 41 first-half points.

While Cardinal O’Hara fans may have been feeling good with their Lions up 41-22 a little before the break, the Red Knights reminded them why they are Reading High, one of the most storied high school basketball programs in the state.

Reading is a team with battled-tested seniors and a D1 commit of their own in Rider-bound Ruben Rodriguez with a deep and talented team around them. The fast-paced Red Knights can score with anybody at any time, and they ate into the Lions lead by ending the first half on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 41-29 at the break.

The third quarter was a gritty and sluggish affair with Cardinal O’Hara holding onto a ten-point lead.

But then Reading’s Aris Rodriguez (no relation to Ruben), woke the Geigle up with a four-point play to cut the Lions lead to single digits. With that play, momentum seemed to swing the Red Knights' way.

“As the game evolves from having a 19-point lead and then getting pressured and having to adjust your game plan a little bit,” Nemetz said. “But it was a good challenge for us. Reading hit a lot of tough shots and they have three really talented guards.”

Reading’s Myles Grey, game-high 20 points, is one of those three talented guards. He caught fire when teammate Ruben Rodriguez headed to the bench with his fourth foul.

Grey scored eight of his points in a three-minute burst to cut the Lions’ lead to two and then Aris Rodriguez back to back buckets — drive and corner jumper — gave Reading its first lead of the night with 4:50 left in the game.

Though the momentum had clearly shifted over to Reading, Cardinal O’Hara was not going quietly.

The Lions’ Pearse McGuinn (15 points) hit a deep three to put them back up by one and a few moments later, Burton tied it again with two free throws.

But time and time again, Reading had answers.

Grey with a three-pointer from the logo. Ruben Rodriguez with a pull-up. Aris Rodriguez with a drive. All were lethal to the Lions’ chances for walking out of the Geigle with a W.

As tough as it may be to swallow, it may serve Cardinal O’Hara well in the long run.  

“We played really well in the first half but they are a hard-nosed, tough team and well-coached,” said Nemetz. “We knew it was going to be a battle. It was a really fun challenge for us, and I think it taught our guys a lesson on how we need to close out games. But I was really proud of our guys and I think they played really well.”

By Quarter

Cardinal O’Hara  23 | 18| 12 | 12 || 65

Reading 12 | 17 | 20 | 19 || 68

Scorers

O’Hara: Pasha 17 McGuinn 15 Burton 14 Cervellero 13 Coulanges 6

Reading: Grey 20 Ruben Rodriguez 17 Aris Rodriguez 13 Burdine 11 Chapman 2 Cruz 2 Osumanu 2 Sosa 1