Red Knights use late stops to shut down Bulldogs’ comeback bid
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details, postgame reaction and a full box score.)
Aris Rodriguez, who took a hard fall early in the game on a missed dunked, stood strong at the end for Reading High Thursday night, closing out Wilson by hitting four straight free throws in the final minute to secure a hard-fought 44-39 Berks Conference Division I victory at West Lawn.
The Red Knights (3-0, 11-1) were up 11 points when Myles Grey hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (2-1, 8-2) used a 9-0 run to get back in the game.
The Red Knights came up with several key defensive plays and forced four turnovers of the final 2 1/2 minutes to maintain their lead. Wilson went nearly five minutes of the fourth quarter without scoring, allowing the Red Knights to extend their slim lead.
Rodriguez, who finished with a game-high 14 points, hit both ends of a one-and-one with 33 seconds left for a 42-37 lead, then both ends of the bonus to close out the scoring with 9.1 seconds left.
The win, played before an SRO crowd, was Reading’s fifth straight in the always-intense series, which the Red Knights now lead 78-34.
The Red Knights again struggled in the early going. They missed their first seven shots and trailed 5-2 with under two minutes to go in the first quarter, which ended with Wilson in front 6-5.
Neither team hit a 3-pointer until midway through the third quarter when Grey’s trey stretched Reading’s lead to 29-20. It was 39-28 on Grey’s 3-pointer with 7:45 remaining.
Aidan Melograna answered with a 3 to ignite a 9-0 run that saw the Bulldogs pull within 39-37 with 5:07 remaining. They didn’t score again until Cleveland Harding’s basket with 11 seconds left made it a one-possession game.
Reading took the lead for good at 12-11 on Rodriguez’s transition basked with 3:57 left in the first half. A minute later he went above the rim and tried to throw down a miss. His shot missed and he lost his balance, slamming his head as he landed on the floor. He left the game briefly but showed no ill effects following his return.
Grey had 13 points for Reading. Ruben Rodriguez, the No. 2 scorer in the county at 23.5 per game, finished with a season-low seven points. He had socred 14 or more in every game and three times has topped 30.
Melograna had 11 points, Harding 10 and Ofure Odiale nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Wilson.
Wilson led after one quarter despite 10 turnovers. It turned the ball over 23 times overall, including three straight possessions in the fourth quarter when the Red Knights unleashed their fullcourt trap.
The Bulldogs again played without their top player, senior and all-division guard Cam Jones. He is expected to return next week.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Reading High | 5 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 44 |
| Wilson | 6 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 39 |
| Red Knights (11-1) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Burdine | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| R. Rodriguez | 3-11 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Grey | 4-13 | 4-7 | 1-4 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| Rodriguez | 5-13 | 4-5 | 0-5 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Osumanu | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Cruz | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Sosa | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Totals | 16-49 | 10-16 | 2-15 | 6 | 25-28 | 44 |
| Bulldogs (8-2) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Gruber | 0-3 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Harding | 3-10 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Melograna | 4-7 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Odiale | 4-11 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 12 | 9 |
| Breslin | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Hunsicker | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Pena | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| McFadden | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 14-37 | 8-12 | 3-8 | 7 | 27-32 | 39 |
Turnovers: Reading High 15, Wilson 23.
