Up next for Reading High: Upper Darby
Reading High (28-1) vs. Upper Darby (19-8)
What: PIAA Class 6A Tournament, second round
When: Wednesday, 7:30
Where: Coatesville High School
About the Royals
Blew a 17-point, second-half lead Saturday and needed two overtimes to survive opening-round game at Bethlehem Liberty for 66-64 victory, their first in the PIAA Tournament since 2013 and just their second overall.
Entered the District 1 Tournament as the No. 10 seed and finished sixth after knocking off No. 7 Perkiomen Valley in the second round. Lost twice in the tournament, once to Lower Merion by 32 points, the other to C.B. East 67-54 in sixth-place game.
Led by all-league Nadir Myers, a 6-1 senior who averages about 20 points per game and became the program’s second 1,000-point scorer in January. He scored 20 in Saturday’s win.
Miymire Brown, a 6-4 senior who’s tough in the low post, will be a match-up problem inside for the Red Knights, who don’t have much interior length and who don’t have an established post player. They’ve been using 6-5 junior Malik Osumanu or 6-5 senior Jedaya Ortega in that spot, or going without a true center. Brown had 15 points and nine rebounds Saturday before fouling out. He went for 28 and eight in a league playoff win over Harriton.
Brown was a Central League honorable mention pick, along with 6-3 senior Jassir Joyner, who joined Myers in the 1,000-point club late in the season. Joyner scored the winning bucket Saturday, coming up with a steal under the final and beating the buzzer with a lay-up.
Finished third in the Central League, behind unbeaten Radnor and Lower Merion. Four of nine losses came to Lower Merion. Beat Haverford twice, by eight and nine points; Fords lost at Reading 74-43 in first round.
