Reading High’s Yadiel Cruz drops 40 on Harrisburg
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Yadiel Cruz added his name to a short list Sunday night, one that doesn’t include the likes of Lonnie Walker IV, Stu Jackson, or Bill Jankans, among Reading High’s greatest players.
Cruz, in just his second season with the Red Knights, dropped 40 points on Harrisburg in a 71-62 non-league victory in the Hoops for Harmony Showcase at York Tech.
Cruz became just the fifth player in the modern era and sixth overall to score 40 points in a game for the Red Knights.
“He scored in transition, he did a good job moving without the ball, we ran some sets for him and his teammates do a good job trying to find him in positions to score,” said Red Knights coach Francis Camara.
It was just the second time in the last 30 years a Reading player reached 40 points and the first time since Ruben Rodriguez set the program record with 50 points against Daniel Boone in 2021-22.
Cruz had four 3-pointers among his 17 field goals but remarkably got to the foul line just three times, making two. Usually in a high-scoring game such as this a player will get a lot of points at the line, and Cruz generally gets to the line a lot. Not this time.
“A lot of his points are in the paint, and there’s a lot of contact down there,” Camara said. “He only got to the line three times but the kid just stayed at it, he stayed aggressive.”
Rodriguez is the only Reading High player to reach 40 points in a game twice; he had 42 against Chambersburg in a District 3 quarterfinal at the Geigle last season. He scored 30 or more points 12 times, a Reading record.
Walker’s top output was 37 points against Carlisle in a District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal at Giant Center in 2015-16. He scored 30 or more points seven times in his high school career.
Jackson set the PIAA championship-game record with 38 points against General Braddock in the 1972-73 Class AAA title game. That stood as Reading’s modern-day record before Marshall scored 43 against Williamsport in 1990-91 at the Geigle. (Jackson’s PIAA record was later topped by Carlisle’s Billy Owens, who scored 53 against Pittsburgh Central Catholic in 1988.)
Buck Friedman scored 48 points for Reading High in 1918-19 but the rules were different early in the 20th century. A team could designate its free throw shooter after all fouls and Friedman was often the choice.
Brian D’Amico established Reading’s postseason scoring record with 42 points in a 1985-86 game against Wilson in the District 3 Class AAAA third-place game.
Before Sunday Cruz’s top scoring output was 30 points in a 73-66 win over Cardinal O’Hara in the championship game of the Reading Holiday Tournament in December.
Reading’s top single-game scorers
| Ruben Rodriguez | 50 | vs. Daniel Boone | 2021-22 |
| Buck Friedman | 48 | vs. Tamaqua | 1918-19 |
| Donyell Marshall | 43 | vs. Williamsport | 1990-91 |
| Ruben Rodriguez | 42 | vs. Chambersburg | 2022-23 |
| Brian D’Amico | 42 | vs. Wilson | 1985-86 |
| Yadiel Cruz | 40 | vs. Harrisburg | 2023-24 |
| Stu Jackson | 38 | vs. General Braddock | 1972-73 |
| Ruben Rodriguez | 37 | vs. Hazleton | 2022-23 |
| Donyell Marshall | 37 | vs. Northampton | 1989-90 |
| Lonnie Walker IV | 37 | vs. Carlisle | 2015-16 |
| Dick Graul | 37 | vs. William Allen | 1961-62 |
Cruz leads the Berks Conference in scoring at 22.3 points per game. He has averaged 28.5 points over his last four games and 25.6 over his last seven.
Only two other Berks Conference players have reached 30 points this season: Brandywine Heights’ Tommy Clark had 33 against Hamburg; Conrad Weiser’s Donovan Gingrich scored 32 against Daniel Boone and 31 against Antietam.
The Red Knights (8-6) needed a big night from Cruz. They’re still playing without their No. 2 scorer, Nick Chapman, who is out with an injury, and lost starting point guard Weshly Rosario in the second quarter Sunday when he was poked in the eye.
Cruz scored 13 points in the first quarter to help Reading to a 22-12 lead. He scored 13 of Reading’s 17 points in the final quarter.
“You could see his teammates looking for him, and that was a beautiful thing to watch,” Camara said. “Yadiel does all the right things. He’s a great kid. He just works hard and sticks at it every day. He’s mentally tough, he’s a leader. You love to watch things like that happen to great kids who deserve it.”
Harrisburg slipped to 3-10 with the loss.